The Crown
by dickard23
Summary: Years after the war, Zuko's initial popularity is dwindling. His advisors fear now is the perfect time for his sister to make a bid for the crown. He sends Aang and co. to find her before she can. Azula, however, had started a new life in the Earth Kingdom. When her identity is found out, what will happen to her and her family? Hearts will break, and lives will shatter.
1. Looking for the Lost Princess

AN: I think this might be my most creative ATLA story yet. I hope y'all like it. Clearly there are going to be non-canon pairings in this story, but I didn't undo the canon. I just gave it a different continuation. The search and the promise happen, but the comics and the tv show had some inconsistencies with the ages of of the characters, so I decided the search happened in 101AG and Azula ran into the Forgetful Valley in April of that year.

I have a fair number of OCs, which I usually try not to do because people want the characters that actually engaged them during the show, but they are mostly children of the canon characters, so hopefully that makes up for it.

* * *

**107 AG (Seven years after Sozin's Comet)**

In a small Earth Kingdom town, not too far from Omashu, a five year old girl was playing with her three year old brother. She had her father's medium skin tone, but her mother's black hair and golden eyes. In contrast, her little brother had their mother's fair skin, but their father's slightly lighter hair and green eyes. Although they looked nothing alike, and their attitudes were different, they were as close as siblings could be, playing cops and robbers in the yard.

"I wanna be the cop," Hiro yelled at his sister.

"Fine, but I'm stealing your loot," Rei claimed as she grabbed an make believe bag of jewels and started to run.

"In the name of the law, I order you to stop!" He chased his sister around the yard. She was faster, but she tired more easily. He tried to corner her.

Inside the cottage, Mina was making noodles, slamming them against the table as she stretched them out. Her children's favorite food was ramen and she made it at least once a week. They'd eat it every day if they could.

Her husband Haru was working. He was the lead engineer for the new train system they were building connecting their small town to Omashu. If this project proved successful, they would be connecting the trains from Omashu to Gaoling and from Omashu to Ba Sing Se, offering a new alternative to the expensive sky ship.

Mina watched warmly as her children played. She remembered along time ago when she and her older brother would play on the beach, but she hadn't seen her brother in years. She hoped her children never lost their closeness.

The mother was four months pregnant. She hoped her new baby boy or girl fit in just as well. She hung the noodles to dry. Now she was tired.

When Haru came home, he could smell a familiar scent in the air. "I love ramen."

"Me too!" Hiro yelled.

"I love it more," Rei told him.

He scooped up his children and hugged them in one go. "We're lucky that your mother makes it for us aren't we?"

"We're the luckiest!" Rei told her dad before she kissed his cheek.

"How was work Dad?"

"It was good. The project is back on schedule."

"Will we get to take the train to Omashu when it's done?" Rei asked him.

"If I can afford it," he teased.

"They should let us ride free given all the work you do for them," Mina kissed her husband on the face. "We missed you today."

"I know." He put down his children and affectionately put his hand on his wife's stomach. "Growing every day."

"Tell me about it. You like keeping me fat and off my feet."

"I just want more of you to love."

Haru couldn't believe his good fortune. He was married to the most wonderful woman. He had two healthy, happy children and he was about to add a third. He had finally gotten the promotion he had been waiting for and some day, he'd be able to take his family on trains all over the country.

He smelled smoke. "What is that?"

Rei put out the flame. "Oops." She accidentally caught the tapestry on fire.

"What have I told you about firebending in the house?"

"Make sure Mom doesn't catch me."

Mina folded her arms and looked at her husband.

"Oops. New rule, no more firebending in the house unless it is to turn on a lamp."

The kids ran upstairs to escape punishment.

"You're lucky I hate that tapestry," Mina said to her husband.

"I'm also lucky that Hiro can't earthbend yet. I have a feeling he'll break the house."

"Well, you're a master bender. You can fix it until you can teach them that their bending is for outside use only."

"I have to convince them."

"They are your children."

"They're always my children when they break stuff and your children when they master something."

"I know right. It's the privilege that comes with going through childbirth."

He kissed her nose. "I adore you so much."

* * *

In the Fire Nation Palace, Zuko received bad news from his advisors. "Your popularity is dwindling my Lord."

When the war had just ended, Zuko had been quite popular. People liked that the polluted factories were closing and their men were coming home, but after years of paying high taxes to cover the reparations and droughts, people were hungry and angry that their Fire Lord was giving them the business for the wealthy peons in the Earth Kingdom. What started off as a few loyalists griping, has grown into a larger movement, calling for the return of their long missing Princess.

"No one will let her rule. She's crazy."

"Perhaps my Lord, but if she were to get married and have a child, a firebending child, that child could take the throne with her husband as the regent. She could be kept out of the political sphere while her husband ruled."

Zuko frowned. The world leaders might accept that if her husband was benevolent.

"Who would she marry?"

"If she were smart, she would marry someone who had opposed her during the war, like Master Sokka."

Sokka had divorced from Suki and had sole custody of Hakoda II, their two-year-old son. Suki and the warriors were no longer protecting Zuko. They have now returned to Kyoshi Island. Fire Lady Mai had been sad to see them go. She and Suki had become close when she returned to the palace, but the new team was quite formidable. No serious attempts on the throne had occurred in years.

Living with Mai and Zuko were, Crown Princess Ursa, their four year old, Lady Ursa, Zuko's mother, her husband Ikem and their daughter Lady Kiyi. It was a home where women reigned supreme.

"You think Sokka would do something like that." Zuko sounded cross.

"He was just an example. My point is if she wants her way back in, now is the perfect time for her to move and you may want to strike your own deal with her before she finds out how popular she has become."

Zuko sighed. "Thank you, that will be all."

The Fire Lord was tired. He was aging faster than he should be and the last thing he needed was to worry about his crazy sister usurping the throne and undoing all of his hard work. He needed to find her and stop her from joining the loyalists.

He requested his closest friends come to a meeting right away.

* * *

One week later, the Avatar and his wife Master Katara arrived with one year old Bumi as did her brother Sokka with Hakoda II. They left their children with the nurses on staff and proceeded to meet with Zuko and Mai.

After quick hugs, Zuko got to work. "I received a report that the loyalists are reaching out to my sister and trying to persuade her to usurp the throne from me. As you know, politics is a terse situation in the Fire Nation right now and we cannot afford any instability to the Crown. I need you to find my sister and detain her if she is involved in the conspiracy."

"What do we do if she's innocent?" Aang asked, not sure of what to do.

"You don't think she's innocent," Katara questioned.

"How would I know? No one's seen her in six years and just because there is a conspiracy, doesn't mean she even knows about it."

"If she isn't aware of it," Sokka started, "then telling her might just encourage her to act badly. She might think she has a shot when she could have given up a long time ago."

"Can you please locate her and see if she's up to anything?" Mai asked, not happy with this what if babble. "If she seems to have started a new life, then I suggest we leave her there, but if she hasn't then we need to know, now."

"Of course," Katara was ready to end the discussion anyway.

"Do you have any idea where she could be?" Sokka asked.

"She was last seen near the Forgetful Valley," Zuko told them. "If she did forget who she was, she might have just settled down in a small town nearby. We have no reports that she is in Capital City."

The trio got a map, trying to figure out where they should look and decided to plot a course.

"I hope we don't find her," Sokka said. "If she's not findable, then the loyalists might just give up."

"Maybe she's dead," Katara said dryly.

"Even better," he grumbled.

Aang didn't say anything. He wouldn't wish death on anyone, even Ozai.

About two weeks later, the heroes, sans their children who remained in the palace, headed to Hira'a and started to look. They heard of no sightings of the Princess and Sokka finally said. "She's probably changed her name. Who knows what she calls herself?"

"Well we did put up fliers and include a physical description," Aang offered. He wished Toph could have come with them, but she's 8 months pregnant and not even she is that risk loving.

They kept marching and eventually, they found a man who said, "maybe you should ask Haru. He and his father used to make the trip from here to Omashu a lot and they might have seen her."

"Haru used to come around here?" Sokka questioned.

"Yeah, I hear he got married and had kids, so he found a job that involved less travel."

"I didn't know he got married," Aang said.

"Yes you did," Katara told him. "I told you."

"When?"

"When we invited him to our wedding. He wrote back that his wife was too pregnant to travel and you said, 'I didn't know he got married.'"

"Oh, I must have forgot."

"Well, let's see what they know."

They got to Omashu only to learn that he had moved into a small town outside the city. They headed for his house and saw two kids playing in the street. One of them was just starting to earthbend.

"I did it Rei. I did it!"

"Let's show Mom."

She excitedly ran to the house with her brother. Aang wondered if those were Haru's kids when Katara stopped.

"What is it?"

"Look at the lanterns. The flame is blue." When firebenders get excited, they can turn a nearby flame blue. Rei did this when she ran, inadvertently revealing she was Azula's daughter.

"Azula!"

They ran to the house to see her with two kids. "Mommy! I can earthbend."

"Oh! Your dad is going to be so proud."

When Azula heard, "we know you're in there," she knew it was trouble.

"Go to the door and tell them that I will be with them in a minute," she told Rei. As Rei went to the front door, she escaped out the back and took off.

"My mom says she'll be right out," the little girl told them.

Aang smiled. She was cute. "Do you know your Mom's name?"

"Mina!"

Aang frowned. They had no idea who their mother was. This is going to be quite a shock for them. "And who's your father?"

"Haru!"

Sokka's eyes burst out of his head. Haru married Azula! He must have known who she was. What the hell was he thinking! When the woman never came to the door, Katara went to check the back.

"She's gone!"

Sure enough the backdoor was wide-open and little footprints made it to the gate where she must have jumped it while they were talking to the girl.

"Where does your father work?" Aang asked Rei.

"He works for the train company. I don't know where that is."

"We have to go now!" Katara told him.

"We can't just leave them alone."

"She did!"

"If someone found our son, you'd want them to make sure he was safe, not run off to something he found more pressing."

Aang insisted that they find Haru first or someone responsible to watch them.

The neighbor said that they could watch the little ones until Haru came home.

"How unusual? Mina never leaves her kids. Something must have happened. I hope she's okay."

"Actually she's …"

"Got sick but we think she'll pull through," Aang interrupted.

"Why did you lie to her?" Katara questioned when she left.

"If we tell everyone who she is, we might create a panic and the loyalists might find her first. We have to keep quiet. Plus, her kids have no idea. This isn't their fault."

"I can't believe she married Haru," Sokka said.

"It explains why he never comes to anything," Aang answered.

"Why would he do something so stupid?" Katara questioned.

"Maybe she changed," Aang offered.

"So she ran the first chance she got."

"We didn't exactly act like we were just visitors. She might have been scared."

"I'd never leave my kids. No matter what."

* * *

The first thing Azula did was find her husband.

"Mina, what's wrong?"

"They know. They're here."

"Who's here?"

"The Avatar and his friends. I can't go back to that asylum. I won't."

"Where are the kids?"

"They're probably at the neighbors. I doubt they left them alone."

"I'm going to find our kids and I'm going to fix this. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I love you. Our kids love you. You deserve a second chance, and I'm not going to let them take it from you."

He kissed her passionately. Who knows when they would cross paths again?

She ran for it, carrying nothing but the duffel bag she hid in the kitchen in case she ever had to run. She hated being right. She really hated it right now.

"Where's Mom?" Hiro asked his sister.

"I don't know, but it must have been bad if she ran. Those people must have been bad news."

"But the bald man was so nice."

"Sometimes, nice people can be dangerous." Rei hugged her brother. "I hope they don't hurt her."

When Haru did make it home, he saw the house was empty and checked with the neighbor.

"There you are. I hope your wife gets better."

"Me too. She's at the hospital," he lied. "Rei, Hiro, it's time to go home!"

"Daddy!"

They jumped in his arms. "Where's Mommy?"

"She had to go away for a while, but I'm going to find her and we're going to work it all out okay."

"I can earthbend. I went to show mommy, but then those people came and she ran away."

Aang, Katara and Sokka asked all around for "Mina," but no one had seen her. When they got to Haru's job, his boss said, "oh, Mina was here."

"She was, when?"

"Like maybe two hours ago. She ran here, said something to her husband and then kept running. I don't know what she said, but I've never seen her like that. She's always so calm, but today, she was really freaked out."

"We should have found Haru first," Aang mumbled. "Thanks."

They went back to the house where Haru was hoping for some kind of sign. What do I do know?

The Avatar appeared. "Haru, are you home?"

The saddened earthbender let them in. "Hey."

"Your kids are …"

"Upstairs. I got them right away."

"I can't believe she just left them," Katara hissed.

"She told me where they were. They wouldn't have been alone long."

"Did you know who she was?" Sokka asked.

"Of course he knew. He's not stupid, well maybe he is. I have no idea," Katara hissed.

"It's not what you think."

"What happened Haru?"

"My father came out here to visit me. I moved here to get away from the city. I had a failed engagement and I just needed a break from it all. He found her, Mina, confused, hungry. She had no idea where she was. She didn't even have a name.

My father took her with him and when we met, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her hair was down, her golden eyes sparkling like jewelry. We decided on the name Mina for her, and she got to work at the local hospice. She didn't even know she could bend because she didn't remember anything. I knew she was Fire Nation based on her looks, but I figured if she ran through the Forgetful Valley, she must have been running away from something bad and I figured it was best we don't find out what it was.

We fell in love, got married and conceived Rei all in the first year that we met. When the baby started fire kicking, the doctor said it was unusual that a nonbender was having a firebender with me and not an earthbender, but I didn't think anything of it. I mean you're a bender from two nonbonding parents (he said to Katara). Doctors never really know that stuff; they can only guess.

I think the pregnancy triggered something in Mina and she started to remember her past. First it was little memories like playing on a beach with her brother and going to some private school, but eventually, she realized she was Azula. She discovered her flame was blue and when she researched it, there was only one blue flamed firebender and she had vanished, around the time Mina had appeared.

She was scared that I would leave her or take our child or she'd go to jail, so she didn't tell me, but she realized that our child might also have a blue flame and then I'd know, so she told me everything. It never changed how I felt about her. I feared Azula during the war, but I love Mina now, and I thought Azula could just stay in the past.

Rei was born and she was healthy and happy, looking just like us. She could bend before she would eat solid food and of course, her flame was blue. We knew people would be suspicious eventually, but there wasn't any real evidence Mina was Azula, so we didn't worry about it.

Then, we had Hiro and he is an earthbender like me and if anyone thought that Mina was someone else, they didn't say anything.

Now, we're expecting our third child, and I was hoping we could just stay put. She hasn't done anything here."

Sokka couldn't believe it. His marriage fell apart and his son was growing up in a broken home, and Azula of all people was happily married with a gaggle of children. She had the life he wanted. It hardly seemed fair.

"Has she been in contact with anyone from the Fire Nation?"

"Agni no. She was afraid of what would happen if people found out who she was. She doesn't talk to anyone who's not from around here."

"They haven't tried to contact her?" Katara continued.

"No. She would have told me. Well, we would have moved and then she would have told me. Whatever's going on, we have nothing to do with it."

"Where is she?"

"She wouldn't tell me where she was going. She just said she had to lie low and figure it out. I begged her to stay, but she thought Zuko would lock her up the first chance he got and maybe take our unborn child.

"Wasn't she worried about Rei and Hiro?" Aang asked.

"Yes, but Rei is old enough to remember her parents, and Hiro can't take the throne because only firebenders can. Our baby might be a firebender and if Zuko took him or her now, then he could pass off the child as his and no one would be the wiser."

"They have a daughter."

"Can she firebend?"

"Not yet, but she's only four."

"Azula had no idea if he had kids or what their status was. She tried to avoid anything Fire Nation. I don't know what Zuko's all concerned about now, or why he sent you after six years of doing nothing, but my wife is a good woman and a good mother. She wouldn't do anything to risk their safety."

"Other than flee the town and leave them home alone."

"You were here. If you let anything happen to them that would speak more about you than her."

Katara scowled.

Hiro came downstairs. "When's Mommy coming home?"

"I don't know, sprout." He kissed his son on the forehead. "But I do know it's time to go to bed. Maybe she'll be home tomorrow."

Aang wrote to Zuko, sending an express message that they had found Azula, but she got scared and fled. She had married Haru and is pregnant, and he swears up and down that they aren't involved in any rebellion.

* * *

Zuko received the letter two days later and was displeased. "She is pregnant! What if it is a firebender?" She could be well posited to try and take the throne even if she hadn't been planning on it before. Now that he knew where to look, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He called upon a new yet familiar villain, Combustion Man Jr. "I need you to find Azula and kill her." He gave a down payment of 500 coins. The rest would be paid at proof of death.

* * *

Azula had fled to Omashu. Hiding in the large city was quite easy. She only went out at night and only wore garments that were too large, covering her frame and as much as her face as she could without looking like a bandit. She missed her children. They were her life, but who knows what Zuko had in store. She could not risk it.

It had been over a week. She managed to get one letter to her husband. She knew they would be watching her mail, so she tried not to include any details that would reveal where she was.

Haru-

I wish I could come home to you and our children, but the one thing I learned about my old family is that none of them can be trusted, ever. If you follow your heart, I know we will be reunited once again.

Mina

Of course Aang read the letter before Haru got it, but it meant nothing to the Avatar.

"Why would she risk getting caught just to write something so cheesy?"

"Maybe it's a code," Sokka offered.

"We should wait and see what Haru does when he reads it."

Haru read it and frowned. "I have no idea what this means," he grumbled, but it must mean something.

While he struggled to figure out what the message meant, Azula started to travel to the place she was hoping Haru would find. After eating some bad chicken, she had to take a day off, resting at the hospital. She was about to leave when she saw a shadow.

Scared, she crawled under the bed.

"I know you're in here," the voice hissed.

Staring at the assailant's feet, Azula threw a fireball at them and hopped out the window. He gave chase, pursuing her down the empty streets and alleyways until he had her cornered. He had a bomb in his hands and he was ready to blow her up.

Azula was screwed. Even if she struck him with lightening now, the bomb would still detonate, likely killing her and her baby.

"Please don't do this."

"Do you really think begging will save you?"

"If not for me, then for my child. Can't you just kill me once she's born?"

"You expect me to believe you are pregnant." Women always say that. Men would say it if the could.

Azula lifted her shirt, a bump apparent.

"Agni you are pregnant." CBJ had killed a lot of people like his father before him, but the only thing his father ever said was don't kill a pregnant woman. It was the only rule in the hitman's code of ethics. No one likes a baby killer.

The man fled. Azula was relieved to be alive, but terrified to know that someone was actively trying to kill her. Zuko must really want me out of his way.

* * *

When Haru couldn't find any secret cyphers, he tried thinking of what would true to his heart mean. The only thing it could mean was going straight to her. She always has his heart.

Now where could she be?

He thought about places she might go: where they met, unlikely since another family moved into that home, where his father had found her, no, where they got married, in the courthouse, where they went for their honeymoon? He got it.

First, he went to Omashu with his kids, bringing them to his father. "Please take care of them until I come back," Haru said.

"Of course. You know I love these little sprouts."

"Where's Mina?"

"She got in trouble with her past. I have to go help her."

"May the spirits bless you."

Rei and Hiro were sad that their father wasn't bringing them too. "I miss Mommy!"

"I know," their grandfather told them. "But she has to take care of this first."

* * *

Aang and the others followed Haru to Omashu, but they lost him at his father's house.

"He left the kids too!" Katara grumbled.

"He must know where she is," Sokka said. "He went to go find his wife."

"Maybe he can get her to come back to Omashu," Aang said. "Maybe we should just wait here."

"They might be planning something." Katara insisted they try and find Haru and Azula. Haru said he'd tell them if he found anything, but of course he lied. As far as she was concerned, he was just as untrustworthy as the crazy princess.

It took Haru two days to get to the house on foot walking only at night, but when he got there, he knew in his heart his wife was waiting for him.

* * *

"Mina!" He called as he came into the door. He quickly got ambushed by two arms hugging him tightly.

"Haru!" She cried as he held her. "I'm so glad it's you."

"Our kids are with my father."

"I miss them so much."

"Me too. Let's go home."

"I can't."

"If we explain it all to Aang, I'm sure he can …"

"It's not just Aang, someone's trying to kill me."

"What?"

"I got sick and a hitman came to the hospital. He only spared me when he saw I was pregnant. The next hitman might not be so moralistic."

"A hitman?"

"Zuko really wants me out of the way."

"Are you sure it was him?" Haru had trouble believing his friend would do it.

"It could be Long Feng or Kuei or something, but Zuko's the only one who we know is looking for me. If we go back, the Avatar will tell him where I am, and whoever is trying to kill me will find me."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Zuko waited for an update, just to hear that Haru had given them the slip too. He went to check in on his hit man just to see that the money had been returned.

"What is this?"

"I'm not going to kill a pregnant woman. I don't care who you are!"

"Is it a firebender?"

"I didn't ask."

Zuko threw lightening at the man, punishment for his insolence. He would need a new hit man, and he would need to make sure it looked like an accident.

Mai went to her husband's office that night. "Any news?"

"Other than Haru ditched them too. No."

"What is she trying to pull?"

"I don't know. I just hope Aang stops it in time."

* * *

After spending two nights together, Haru and Azula decided to go back to Omashu.

"They must have left by now," he reasoned. They got to their father's house that night, using the back entrance to avoid being spotted.

Azula went straight upstairs where she saw her sleeping son. "I love you Hiro. Don't you ever forget that." She kissed his sleeping forehead.

Next was Rei who woke up. "Mommy. I knew you'd come for us."

"Always. I love you so much."

"I love you too Mommy!"

Haru's father was happy to see that his son and daughter in law returned but was scared when he learned about the hit man.

"Why would her own family try to kill her?"

"I don't know if it was them, but Mina's pretty convinced. She doesn't think we should trust them."

"What are you going to do?"

"We don't know."

* * *

Sokka was tired. "We've searched all over the place. I miss my son. We don't know where they are, and maybe we should have just never come here."

Aang missed Bumi. "What do we do, say we tried, but they got away."

"This is ridiculous. Who knows what they are planning?"

"Who knows if they're planning anything? We only know that they got married, had kids and she ran. We haven't even come across any loyalists here. We should have started with them."

They wrote to Zuko telling him they were going back to the palace to regroup and be with their kids. The mission was at a standstill. "It's like they both vanished."

Zuko had to get this right this time. He had to make sure Azula was dead and gone. Zuko hired an expert to forge his sister's handwriting.

Dear Followers,

I was surprised to learn that there were still people supporting my bid for the crown. I gave up on that a long time ago, but if the spirits wish it, I will make my return.

I, however, refused to be apart of a failed coup, so I need to make sure that you have what you need to do to remove my brother. Currently, the Avatar and his friends are chasing me. If you can find a way to run interference so I can return to the Fire Nation, I would be most delighted.

Your Princess,

Azula

He showed it to Mai.

"I can't believe this. Actually, I can. Maybe we should have left her alone. Now she thinks she has something to fight for."

"I'm sure Haru will help us once he learns what she's really up to," Zuko said.

"I hope so. Love is blind."

Little did she know, how true those words were.


	2. Death and What Comes Next

AN: Thanks for reading.

* * *

After eluding the Avatar for a few weeks, Azula wanted to take her kids on one last vacation. She knew that her luck just might run out.

"Where are we going Mommy?" Hiro asked.

"Somewhere I used to go as a child."

They made it by boat to Ember Island and found a cottage that they could rent. "I used to play here on the beach with my brother. Maybe you and your sister could play here too." She turned to Rei. "It's important that no one sees your blue flame. Turn it down if you need your bending."

"Yes Mommy!"

She kissed her daughter's forehead, and they ran outside with their father.

Azula had a lawyer to meet with. She had to plan for the worst.

When she came back to the house, her kids were ready for lunch. "How about we go to the turtle crab shack?"

"What's turtle crab?" Hiro asked her.

"It's delicious." Her kids knew nothing of Fire Nation food. She would have to teach them.

Haru hoped that they worked this all out. He needed them too. He was nothing without his family.

* * *

Katara was livid when she saw the letter. "Of course she's starting trouble."

"Well, now we know where she's headed," Sokka said. "Let's watch the ports for her."

Zuko's hitman follow the Fire Lord's friends. They would lead him straight to Azula.

They tried port after port, just to get no news at all.

"Maybe she went to Ember Island," Sokka suggested.

"You think she's trying to lead a coup from the beach?" Katara said.

"Maybe she's just waiting for us to go away or be dealt with."

They headed to Ember Island and started to search the beach.

* * *

After two days of looking, Aang was tired. He knew they couldn't quit, but he was losing patience with his wife saying negative things all day, and Sokka complaining he was hungry.

Finally, they saw something. They had just eaten dinner and they saw a boy playing with sand.

"It's an earthbender!"

Aang approached, and it was Hiro. He saw the bald man and ran away. "Rei let's go!"

The children ran away from the house, trying to keep the Avatar and his friends away from their mother. Unfortunately, Sokka turned to see Azula running the opposite direction.

Azula got to a boat but was having trouble getting it to start. The boat was run by coal, but it had been sabotaged. She kept adding flame, but getting nowhere. Finally, she smelt something. "That can't be good," she said to herself.

"Azula, please just turn yourself in," Aang called. "We don't want to fight you."

"Stand back," she yelled. "This thing is going to blow."

Of course, Katara approached, trying to freeze Azula in place with the water. Azula had to melt it to get away, and she knew she was in trouble.

Sokka asked, "What's that smell?" just as the boat exploded.

Haru screamed as he ran towards the dock. "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't," Katara stammered. "I don't know how it …" she had no idea how the ship exploded but it did.

"MINA!" Haru screamed. Just like that, she was gone.

The hit man left, mission accomplished.

* * *

Zuko got a letter that his sister was dead. The ship exploded accidentally.

"How unusual," he said.

Mai shook her head. "Those poor kids. Why couldn't she think of them?"

"It's Azula," he said dryly.

But even Zuko didn't expect what happened next. Two days after he received word that Azula was dead, he received word that Haru had died as well.

Aang saw the whole thing.

"I just can't do it. Mina's gone. Our baby's gone. How can I look my children in the eye and tell them that I failed them? It is all my fault. My family is destroyed and it's all my fault."

Before Aang could stop him, Haru jumped off the cliff, leaving to join his wife in the afterlife.

Now her kids were orphans.

Aang felt sick to his stomach.

Katara was mad at him. "How could he be so selfish?"

"He was devastated," Aang said softly. "And I couldn't help him." He didn't know what he would do if he lost Katara and she had been pregnant. Haru didn't believe for a second that Azula wrote that letter. He insisted she had been framed, and she died because of it.

Hiro couldn't stop crying. Rei was furious. She was too upset and angry to cry. She just kept looking out the clouds, wishing for the impossible.

Ursa couldn't believe it when she heard Azula and Haru were dead, but she hoped she could get to know their children. "Maybe I could raise them with Kiyi," she offered. Kiyi was only 12. It would be like she got two younger siblings.

The day before the funeral, Zuko went to Boiling Rock.

"Zuko, what brings you here?"

"Your daughter is going to be buried tomorrow."

"Is this my invitation to her funeral?"

"Are you kidding? It would be a total debacle if I let you come."

Ozai turned to him. "What a shame? The rest of the family is going and I'm the only one who will miss her."

"Then why did you tell me to kill her?"

"I did no such thing Zuko. I told you everything came at a price. To keep your Crown, you were ready to sacrifice your own sister."

"I had no choice. She was pregnant."

"You killed a baby too. I guess you're more like me than you thought."

"I'll never be like you."

Ozai laughed. "Hmm. So that's it. Ursa II is the only heir now."

"Unfortunately, no."

"What?" Ozai frowned.

"She had two children."

"Are they firebenders?"

"One of them is."

"Then why kill her if she had already produced an heir."

Zuko didn't answer.

"You didn't know. She was smart enough to keep her daughter a secret. Oh, the webs we weave when we are trying to deceive."

Zuko left without another word.

It was the day of the funeral. Ursa insisted on a royal one for her daughter since she had never been convicted of treason.

Zuko gave in. What difference did it make now?

Rei wore a white dress, the color of mourning in the Fire Nation and was furious when she saw the Avatar and his friends there.

"Why is he here?"

"He came to pay his respects," Iroh said.

"Respects. He's the one who killed them. If he hadn't chased my mother around the world like an escaped bearded cat, she'd still be alive. My father would still be alive. I would be looking forward to being a big sister again, and not saying goodbye to both of my parents."

Aang froze. He didn't expect her hostility, but it wasn't surprising.

Katara just got mad. "It's not our fault. If your mother hadn't tried to take the throne."

"My mother didn't care about the throne," Rei yelled back. "She cared about being a good wife and mother. She cared about the younger brother or sister we were supposed to have, the one that you took from us. You didn't care about my mother when she was alive. You have no right to be here now." She had a defiant look in her eyes, her mother's look and her mother's eyes.

"The same goes for all of you. What kind of mother walks out on her kids?" she yelled at Ursa. "What kind of brother tries to take away his own sister's family?" she continued her rant against her uncle. "And what kind of uncle sits around and brews tea and stuffs his face all day while everything's falling apart? None of you were here when it mattered. What business do you have being here now?"

She ran off.

Ursa could have sworn it was her five-year-old daughter yelling at her just now. Iroh was thinking the same thing. No one said anything until Sokka said, "Is that what Azula was like as a child because I could picture that."

Mai had been greeting Ty Lee and missed the fighting. "Where's Rei?"

"She needed a moment to be alone," Ursa said.

"That was the understatement of the year," Katara said bitterly.

The soldiers marched. The urn was empty since Azula's body was never found. The sages presided over the ceremony, the head sage giving the eulogy.

"I remember the day she was born," he said somberly. "Her parents named her after the Fire Lord.

I remember when she first learned to firebend. Her blue flame was the first in 100 years.

I remember when she learned to throw lightening and when she conquered Ba Sing Se, but most of all, I remember that she loved cherries and she really hated the pits.

I may have forgotten a lot of things in my old age, but I'll never forget the Fire Nation's brightest star or how the brightest stars always go out first."

Ursa was sobbing. Iroh held her, finding tears for his niece that he didn't even know he had.

It was a symbol of respect to firebend a dragon shape to fly over the funeral. No one was more surprised than Iroh when Rei took a breath and released the dragon over all of them. At the tender age of five, she could do what many thrice her age could not. She was even more advanced than Azula had been at this age. Iroh was determined to make sure she didn't meet the same fate.

After the funeral, they went to hear the will.

Azula's lawyer came forth. "They prepared a will in the event they both died within three days of each other. They wished all of Haru's inventions, the ones that do not belong to his employer, be donated to Omashu University. They wished that his model sky ship collection be left to his father. They wished that any possessions Azula had in the palace be given to her mother and she could distribute them as she saw fit and last but most certainly not least, they wished that their children be left in the custody of Ty Lee and their …"

"What?" Zuko interrupted. "They left their children to Ty Lee?" Why would they leave their children with such a simpleton?

Ty Lee stopped crying out of confusion. "They what?"

"When was this will written?" Ursa asked.

"Just two weeks ago. They left a letter to explain why Ty Lee. If I can finish the reading."

"Of course Counselor," Iroh said, surprised by the news, but maybe it was for the best.

"They also left to Ty Lee their home and their bank accounts, so she could take care of their children. If she declines to take custody, they wish that Haru's father take the children and the assets as he needs them."

Ty Lee's hands trembled as she opened the letter. Mai held her hand.

* * *

Dear Ty Lee,

I promised myself that I would be the kind of mother that never left her children no matter what. If you are reading this, then I was dead wrong.

_Only she would tell a joke after she's dead_.

I know the quip was in bad taste, but I'm dead. What are you going to do about it?

Seriously, though, I know you are the best possible mother for my kids. You are the only one who remembers what I was like before my father started teaching me to be mean, before he instilled upon me the megalomania that was my downfall.

My children are going to hear a lot of things about me. Most of them are bad. Much of it is true, but I want them to know about the little girl who I once was and you're the only one who can show them.

I'm sure Mai is doing an excellent job with my niece, that she will get groomed to take the Crown and learn perfect manners and grammar and be well educated in both the arts and the sciences, a perfect Princess.

I want the opposite for my children. I want them to go in the backyard and get messy playing. I want them to make friends with common children. I want them to have little tea parties with their toys and walk on their hands and do all of the little things I thought were stupid, but I took for granted. I want them to be happy and I fear if they grow up in the palace, they will only know rivalry with their cousin and competition.

I want them to remember going to the circus and eating too many lychee nuts or a really weird looking bearded lady. Most of all, I want them to stay best friends, something Zuko and I couldn't do.

I know it will be hard, and its not the life you signed up for, but you would do a wonderful job with them. They need someone like you and I think you need them too. You've been a warrior for far too long. It's time for you to relax and enjoy the simpler things in life.

Rei is stubborn like me. Hiro is a sweetie like his father. Together, they are a bundle of trouble, but only the best kind. They are close to Haru's grandfather. I know he will help you with them, and they do enjoy spending the summer at his house so maybe they can still do that.

I know you will do what's right because you always did before. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I'm dead, so you can't yell at me for it.

I never stopped loving you. You were the best friend I ever had.

Azula (and Haru but mostly Azula)

* * *

Ty Lee cried for a good ten minutes before she spoke. "I'll take them in."

"This is absurd," Zuko said. "They are apart of the royal family and they should live in the palace."

Mai had read the letter over Ty Lee's shoulder and started to mourn the friend she used to have. "If we died and Azula became Fire Lord, would you want her to raise our kids?"

"That's totally different."

"No it isn't. If I died, I'd want our kids to be with Ursa or Iroh. I would want my wishes to be respected, and Azula deserves the same."

Iroh agreed. "I think they should stay in the same home. This is enough of a shock without them having to move."

With everyone else in agreement, Zuko had no choice but to let the girl who threatened his reign return to the Earth Kingdom. He found his control of the situation slipping through his fingers.

Rei was surprised to learn Ty Lee would be coming to live with them. She had never heard of the girl before her mother died, but her mother wanted it this way, so she nodded in agreement.

They prepared to leave for the Earth Kingdom.

Katara still insisted Azula was guilty. "Zuko had the letter." She produced it.

Azula's lawyer took a look. "This isn't her handwriting," he insisted. He showed them the will and Haru's father's letter, explaining why they didn't give him the kids. "Her handwriting changed over time. It's similar to that letter, but this letter looks like it was written by her years ago. I authenticate letters all the time. It was a good fake."

Katara's stomach sank. "What did I do?" She still didn't know how the boat exploded, but now she wondered if they ever should have been chasing her at all.

"Who would fake a letter?"

"Maybe the loyalists did it," Mai said. "To drum up excitement."

"I guess so," Aang wasn't sure if he would ever really know the truth. He did know it would be a long time before he chased anyone again. This was just terrible.

Sokka had one thing to say before Rei and Hiro left. "I know this doesn't bring her back, but I am so sorry." He was on the verge of tears. Sokka had promised himself he'd never break up a family again when he learned how many fathers died on Sozin's Comet when he crashed the airships, but then his own wife left him and now Azula and Haru were dead. It's like trouble just kept following him.

"Do you have any children?" Rei asked him.

"I have a son."

"Make sure he grows up with you."

* * *

Rei and Hiro left with Ty Lee. The warriors said they would ship her stuff to her. Ty Lee couldn't believe it. All this time, Azula had been married to Haru and they had a family. Just like that, it was gone.

The first few months were a struggle for the former acrobat. Rei argued at every turn. Somehow, Hiro got dirt everywhere earthbending in the house. She couldn't train either of them in their element, but Haru's father could help with the earthbending.

Ty Lee needed a way to relate with Rei. "Did your mother ever tell you about how we met?"

Rei looked at her blankly. "She never told me who she was."

"Oh right. Well I was about your age and your grandmother had invited me over for a play date. She wanted your mother to have some friends her own age. When I got here, she was practicing in the yard. She would practice her firebending day and night, wanting to impress her father and her namesake when I appeared, a girl in a pink dress and her hair in a braid."

"Don't tell me you still wear your hair the same way as you did when you were six."

"Your mother had the same hairstyle from when she was six until she came here. Topknots were deemed for boys, but she always pulled it off. Anyway, when I got to the palace, she stared at me blankly. 'Mother, who is this girl?' she said, not even looking at me."

"Her name is Ty Lee and I want you two to be friends."

"Why?"

"Because little girls have friends their own age."

"She bores me."

"You haven't even tried yet," Ursa told her.

"What can you do?" she asked me.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you firebend?"

"No."

"Can you fight?"

"No."

"What can you DO?"

"I can walk on my hands." I started to walk on my hands.

"How is that useful?"

"Well, I don't know."

"Come back here, when you can say why you are useful."

"Her mother wasn't very pleased. I was just confused. No one had ever asked me to be useful before. I didn't think I had to really know how to do anything. Your mother had a way of bringing out the best in people. With her, I learned to do things I never thought were even possible."

"Then why do so many people hate her?" Now that Rei knew Azula had been her mother, she listened for the name left and right, hearing all of the terrible things that people would say about her.

"Her father raised her to take over the world. He was mean. He would hurt her to make sure she did what he said, and he taught her to hurt other people to get them to obey her. She was afraid of him, so she hurt a lot of people, to make sure he got what he wanted."

"Why didn't grandma stop him?"

"She couldn't. He was the prince and she was only the princess because he married her. She had no real power."

"Like Aunt Mai."

"Well, I hope Zuko is much better to her than Ozai was to Ursa, but Mai's only the Fire Lady because they are married. She doesn't have any direct power."

"Maybe the Fire Lord shouldn't have so much power. If he had to listen to other people, then Ozai wouldn't have been able to try to take over the world."

She was only five, but she was so bright. Ty Lee couldn't believe it even though she saw the girl every day. "I know, but once someone gets power, he or she seldom wants to give it up. You need a leader who is determined to be fair."

As Ty Lee shared more about Rei's mother, the girl began to trust her more. She started opening up about her favorite memories of her parents and telling Ty Lee about all of the things her mother was supposed to do with her. "She said she'd teach me how to throw lightening. She could hit a coin from 20 km away." She was also supposed to get her ready for her first day of school, take her to her first dance and do her hair on her wedding day. Ty Lee promised to do her best with the last two. "I can't throw lightening myself, but maybe we could find a book on it when you're ready."

She did, however, teach Rei and Hiro about aura reading. They were a bit too young for chi blocking, but they understood the basic idea.

* * *

Sokka was back at the tribe with his son. It was their first autumn without Suki and Sokka was very somber.

Kanna came to see him. "I'm worried about you. You've been in a rut since you got here."

"I should feel better. I have my son and he's absolutely amazing, but I can't stop feeling like a failure because Suki's not here and I can't stop picturing two kids who don't have their parents anymore because of me. I just feel like a failure."

Kanna sat down with him. "Well sitting in here depressed isn't helping. I think you should travel before the winter sets in. Find some inspiration. Pull yourself out of this rut."

"You're right Gran Gran." You usually are.

Sokka took his son on a trip. He didn't plan the destinations. He just started visiting islands. They got to Ember Island, which was fine until they left the crab shack. Once he saw the dock where Azula had died he freaked out.

"We're going to get back on the boat Hakoda."

"Yes Dad." He knew not to ask why his father wanted to leave. He seldom appeared scared, so it must be bad.

He had sent a letter saying they could stop by Kyoshi Island if she wanted to see their son, but he had received no answer. He stopped by anyway, only to hear from the dockworker that he was not allowed on the island.

"Maybe we'll see your Mom on the way back," Sokka lied as they continued on their way not wanting him to think his mother didn't want him.

They made it to Gaoling and decided to visit Toph. She had finally given birth to baby Lin.

Her husband Satoru answered the door.

"Hey Sokka! Hakoda! Come in."

Lin was napping. Toph came to the door. "Snoozles, baby Snoozles, what's going on?"

"I thought we'd drop in and see how you were doing."

Toph was a lot different than she had been during the war. Her voice was lower. Her body was fuller and she still had some baby pudge from Lin. She seemed less energetic than usual.

"Is this a bad time? You look tired."

"I'm always tired. I just gave birth last month."

"Oh yeah. She was late."

"Like three weeks. She wanted to camp out."

"How is she?"

"Well she eats and sleeps and poops all day. Maybe I should have named her Snoozles!"

"Haha! She's healthy I hope."

"Yes and she'll be an earthbender when she's ready."

"Congratulations!"

"Eh, she'd be awesome anyway."

They started talking over some tea. Hakoda was tired so Sokka put him down for a nap too.

"So what brings you to Gaoling?"

"I was trying to find a way out of my rut. Gran Gran suggested I travel and I ended up here after they wouldn't let me on Kyoshi Island."

"They wouldn't let you on the island?" But what about his mother?

"I don't know what to do. I want Suki to be in his life, but I can't make her. I feel like I failed him."

"You're a good Dad, Sokka. Just keep trying and be as much of a parent for him as you can. He needs you."

"I know." Toph could tell there was something else on his mind, but he didn't mention it.

He stayed in Gaoling for five days, showing his son the rumble where he met Toph, the street gamblers who cheat, the fall festival, and he won his son a stuffed badger mole.

Toph only went out for a little bit each day. Lin was still at the age where she needed to be home pretty much all day and she got tired easily, but Toph hated feeling like a couch potato.

On Sokka's last day in town, the two old friends got dinner. "Something's been eating away at you since you've been here, Snoozles!"

"I just, I can't stop thinking about this summer, about Azula and Haru."

"Their deaths weren't your fault."

"You didn't see it," not that she sees anything. "Rei just turned five and instead of having a birthday party with her parents and her brother, she was 'burying' her mother and her father."

"It's not like you knew the boat was going to blow up. Azula didn't know it either."

"I think she did know. She told us to get back, that the ship was going to blow, but Katara advanced anyway. She used her firebending to try and not get frozen and that's when the ship blew up. She must have realized something was wrong with it when she couldn't get the engine started."

Even Toph's eyes dropped. "I didn't know that."

"It's not like we ever talk about that day. I think the others just try to pretend it didn't happen."

Toph wasn't sure what to say. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"No, but maybe I should. From the beginning, it was all very odd. No one's seen her in six years. Let's just check on her, but it spiraled out of control quickly. Katara started banging on the door. She fled. We had to get her kids to the neighbor. Haru took his kids to his father's and he fled. We went back to the Fire Nation. Zuko gave us this letter that we thought Azula had written."

"What do you mean you thought?"

"It was a letter planning a coup but according to her lawyer, it wasn't really her handwriting. It was an imitation. Anyway, we thought she was planning a coup so we went looking for her at Ember Island and then it all went down."

Toph was suspicious. "Who would fake a letter from her?"

"We're not sure. I think the worse of it was when they read her will. When I learned that she wanted Ty Lee to have her kids, and she just wanted them to be happy and have fun I realized how much of mistake we made. I mean it was clear we screwed up. Haru jumped off a cliff he was so upset, but she really changed, and none of us saw it until it was too late."

"Maybe you should go visit."

"Ember Island. I already freaked out there."

"No, I mean Ty Lee. I don't expect Azula's kids to be running into your arms, but I think you need to get over this, and I can't think of what else you can do."

Sokka frowned. "I think will head up to Omashu, but I don't know if I can just show up on their doorstep."

"You probably have a point there. Haru's dad is a nice guy. Maybe you should visit him."

Sokka rented an ostrich horse and took it to Omashu. His son was excited to be on one for the first time that he could remember. "Ostwich horse!"

Sokka kissed his son's head. "Let's go buddy."

It took them almost a week to get to Omashu. They stayed in inns along the way. When he did get to Omashu, he realized this was the city where he first saw Azula and Ty Lee for that matter. He showed his son around, taking him to see the caves and the mail chutes where Aang would play. He wondered how his brother in law was doing and decided to write him a letter.

* * *

Dear Aang,

I've been travelling over the past month or so with my son, trying to show him the world before winter and get my head on straight.

I saw Toph in Gaoling. Her baby is adorable and will eventually be a fearsome earthbender like her mother.

I haven't come across too many familiar faces other her and Satoru. I'm in Omashu now and I'm not sure where I will go next. Should I stop by the Air Nation before I come home?

I hope all is well with you, Katara and little Bumi. Send them my love.

Sokka

* * *

Aang hadn't been having such a good time either. He struggled to stay on top of his duties and help Katara with their son and she had been not quite herself since she learned that Azula was innocent. She remembered the pain of losing her own mother and couldn't handle the realization that she caused another girl the same misery and even worse, the girl had no father.

Most of the world saw Team Avatar as heroes, but for one little girl and one little boy, they came and then their parents died. Katara wasn't sure if she could ever forgive herself and in her grief came anger and a short temper.

Aang struggled too. He was supposed to help people. He was supposed to prevent tragedy but instead a young mother died, her children devastated, her estranged mother beside herself. He somehow took a fractured family and made them even more broken.

He still never talked to Zuko about it. It was like the Fire Lord pretended it didn't happen, that Azula never happened. Aang wanted to think it was his way of grieving or he was in too much shock to react, but deep down, his friend's coldness was disturbing to say the least.

Aang wondered if he should visit Iroh and see how he's doing.

* * *

The Prince had become much quieter since Azula died. He was always one for stories and tea and he still partook in them, but he felt this emptiness he hadn't felt since Lu Ten died. He never really liked his niece but underneath the bitter resentment, he loved her. He didn't know what was worse, not being there in her time of crisis or not realizing how much she cared until he saw her daughter.

The girl was a prodigy, just like her mother. She was outspoken and aggressive, but underneath she was passionate and loving. He realized Azula had been the same way but the love got lost in all the darkness. She had started to find the light again, but it wasn't enough.

It was too hard for him to visit the palace. He would just see Ursa crying or Kiyi being quiet instead of playing. Little Ursa was too young to really understand it, but Mai was somehow more quiet than usual. She would get the occasional letter from Ty Lee saying that Rei learned a new move or Hiro was trying to eat his weight in fudge, but mourning her former friend took more out of the Fire Lady than she ever thought possible.

Mai put on a brave face and acted just the same. If Zuko noticed her anguish, he didn't talk to her about it.


	3. Ghosts of Our Pasts

It was a chance encounter. Ty Lee had taken Rei and Hiro to Omashu to get ramen. She couldn't make the noodles like Azula had, so she would take them here occasionally and do some shopping to make a day of it. She hadn't been looking where she was going when she literally walked right into Sokka.

"Oh hey!" she said as she greeted him with a hug. "What brings you here?"

"Just travelling with Hakoda."

She looked and saw Hiro poke Hakoda.

"You're it!" Hiro ran away.

Hakoda started to chase him.

As the three children played, the "parents" started talking.

"How have you been?" he asked her.

"Tired, but they are so worth it. I swear Rei sounds just like her mother, her vocabulary and her inflections. She's always trying to debate me on why she should be able to pick her own bedtime or why she needs some random gadget that I don't even know what it does. Hiro is more like his father. He likes dirt and earthbending in the house."

Just then, Rei ran up to Ty Lee. "Can we take Hakoda to the ice cream man?"

"Can he eat ice cream?"

"Sure." He eats normal food.

"Be back in 10 minutes."

Rei ran off not really listening to whatever Ty Lee just said.

"She always does that. She thinks she can outrun the sound of my voice."

"Gotta let the kid dream, right."

Sokka told Ty Lee of his travels.

"Has Suki seen him?"

"She wouldn't let me on the island. I wanted to bring him to her for a few days but I couldn't."

Ty Lee was stunned. "Did she know you had him?"

"I don't know. The people on the dock said I was banned from the island. I didn't even see her."

"Why wouldn't she want to see her son?"

Sokka shrugged. "I think she's still bitter about the divorce."

"But she filed for it." Ty Lee didn't know exactly why they divorced, but she knew it wasn't a good time for her friend.

"I know, but she still blames me for hiring a lawyer. She had to hire one too and it cost her a lot of money. I didn't mean to put her out, but she wanted Hakoda all the time and he's my son too. I understand why she wanted to leave, but it wasn't fair for her to just take him from me. The court agreed with me and I haven't seen her since."

"I hope she comes around for her own sake. Life's too short to stay angry."

Sokka cringed at the saying.

"I didn't mean to …"

"It wasn't your fault Ty Lee. I just I never got over that day. I don't think any of us have."

Rei and the others came back with ice cream. Hakoda was wearing most of his.

Sokka took out a napkin to wipe his face. "Did you eat any of it?"

"Moon peach!"

"Where are you staying?"

"In the inn. It's such a money sink."

"We have a spare room if you want."

"You don't have to."

"I think you should. It seems like Hakoda and and Hiro are two snow peas in a pod."

The two boys were running away from Rei. "Hiro, Hakoda, you two are going to pay for that!" The girl was covered in dirt, likely due to her brother's earthbending.

Sokka did decide to take up Ty Lee's offer. He checked out of the inn and went to their house.

"It's a beautiful home."

"My dad built it," Rei said as he came inside.

The masonry work was well done, as were the hand carved doors and window frames.

In the family room hung a portrait of Haru, "Mina," Rei and Hiro. Haru had been holding their daughter, Mina their son.

There wasn't a bed in "Sokka's room." There was a crib. Ty Lee had to bring in a mat. "There had been a bed, but it was supposed to be the nursery."

Somehow Sokka had forgotten Azula was pregnant when she died. Damn, this just kept getting worse and worse.

"It will be fine."

Ty Lee made some tea. Rei was a stickler for it being perfectly timed. She knew exactly when to pour it and how hot to make the water before she steeped it.

Hiro liked milk, so he'd drink tea when there was milk in it.

Hakoda liked milk too. He had never tried it with tea, but he decided it was okay.

"What are those metal racks?" Sokka asked. They were up against the wall.

"They are noodle racks," Rei told him. "Mom would make ramen and hang the noodles to dry on them."

Rei insisted on keeping them. She would learn one day, and her kids would be able to eat a bunch of ramen every week too.

Everything in the home had a memory of Azula or Haru. This was their world, the children their life.

Sokka quickly decided not to ask any more questions about the place.

Before dinner, Ty Lee called the children in to wash up. Hiro was covered in dirt.

"You look like a badger mole!"

"Badger moles are cool."

Rei took him up to get him in the bath. Hakoda needed a bath too. Rei washed her hands and face. "I didn't roll in the dirt," she told her brother when he asked why she didn't need to bathe.

Ty Lee roasted a chicken for dinner. She had cooked while she was in the warrior house, but the children had finicky palates. She quickly learned that it was better to use half as many ingredients. The more complex the dish was, the more distrustful they were.

Hakoda was a little too little for his chair. He had to sit on a book. "Chick'n."

"I can see he has your appetite," Rei said dryly, watching the boy devour his food like his father.

"Rei," Ty Lee chided.

"It was just an observation."

"Why are your observations always sound like thinly veiled insults?"

"I don't know. I like that shirt on you, even though it's pink." Rei would never like pink.

After dinner, Sokka got the dishes.

"You don't have to do that."

"It's the least I can do."

Hakoda was ready to go to sleep.

Hiro wanted a story read to him. His favorite was Karo Finds A Dragon. His mother and father would always do the different voices for him.

Ty Lee came to tuck him in and read him the story. "When Karo turned three, his father gave him a stuffed dragon toy."

When Rei closed her eyes, she could imagine her parents on either side, Hiro in her bed because somehow he always ended up in there, and her reading Karo Finds A Dragon. Ty Lee does a decent job with it, but it's not the same when Mom isn't the dragon and Dad isn't the scared villagers. Sometimes, she mad at her father for jumping and other times she hopes they found each other in the afterlife. She couldn't picture one without the other. They were like ying and yang, too intertwined to separate again.

* * *

When Ty Lee came to check on her, Rei was already asleep. Ty Lee hoped she was doing a good job with her. Sometimes, it was hard to tell. She still couldn't believe Azula picked her out of all of the people she could have picked, but she thought again.

She wouldn't have asked her mother or Iroh and Zuko was out of the question. That did just leave Ty Lee and Haru's father, but almost anyone else would have picked him instead. She didn't even know them three months ago, but she wished she had. Would it have been different if Azula had told her she was here?

Ty Lee didn't know. She couldn't know. She just had to move forward with what she had. Sokka had seen her reading to Hiro. He was an adorable boy. Sokka went to sleep in his "bed" for the night. He was exhausted.

Rei wondered why Sokka had come here. Surely, he had somewhere else to be than visiting the kids he helped orphan, but maybe he didn't. Now that she thought about it, there had been no mention of the Avatar or his friends in the area since her parents died. There was plenty of talk about them, and her mother specifically, but not what happened to them after.

She looked at him and his eyes revealed a lot of sadness, some darkness too, but mostly anguish. She had learned to read faces after seeing her mother do it to everyone and listening to the comments she would make.

Eventually, she just asked him, "what are you so depressed about?"

"What?"

"You've looked like you have been in mourning since you got here."

"How much do you know about the end of the war?"

"I know my Mom went crazy, got locked up, ran away and then ended up here where she met my dad, but that's about it."

"Well, on the day your mother lost it, on Sozin's Comet, your grandfather tried to torch the Earth Kingdom, take down every city that wouldn't surrender. I helped sink the sky ships that he was using to do it and at the time, it was awesome. I saved the Earth Kingdom. I won the war, but then I learned about how many of those men were fathers or brothers or sons. Not all of them wanted to join the war. Many of them had been drafted. In some ways, they were just as much victims as the people below that I was saving.

I knew I never wanted to be the reason that a family was broken up again. I didn't want to be in another war. I didn't want any of it. Then, my wife left me, and I broke up another family, my own. I thought that was really it and then I was told that your mother was trying to start a coup. We tried to stop her, not wanting another war to break out, but then she died and the letter turned out to be fake. I wish I could say otherwise, but she died for no reason at all. It seems that no matter what I do, I leave broken lives in my wake."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you need to get over yourself."

"What?"

"You didn't kill the men who died in the Comet. If Ozai made them enlist, then Ozai caused their death. They could have just as easily died on the ground and it wouldn't have been your fault.

I have no idea if it's your own fault that your wife left you. Only you can know that.

I have no idea who set up my mother, and I probably never will, but someone wanted her to die. She knew she was going to die. Why else would she stop to write a will while she was on the run?

You can't undo any of the things that happened, but you have a son who needs a father who has his life together. If you feel bad, that's too bad. At least you have a son to go home too. Just pretend to feel better until you do. At least then your son will have a father who seems like he's all there even if he's not.

Look at it this way, if you spend all your time depressed about the deaths you might have caused and not living your life, you're doing even more of a disservice to those people because you're squandering the life you have. Maybe you deserve to be miserable. Maybe you don't, but being miserable isn't fair to that two year old boy who tries to eat his weight in meat every day."

Sokka looked up and saw his son chasing Hiro around the backyard. Hakoda did deserve a father who was fully there and if he wasn't, he'd just have to suck it up and pretend until he was there. Suki wasn't going to be there for him, that much he knew. He wouldd have to be enough of a parent for both of them.

* * *

Ty Lee noticed Rei's aura getting brighter as Sokka and Hakoda stayed at the house. She had been hesitant when the man appeared, which wasn't surprising given the reason she knew him at all, but the child seemed to be less defensive and bitter. The young girl realized she had to make the most of her life too. Her mother was gone. She had to live enough for both of them.

Rei insisted on seeing the shooting stars. "Mother said if I got close enough to them, I could firebend them."

"How close do you have to be?" Sokka asked her.

"I don't know, but I'll measure each step until I get there."

Hakoda had taken quite a liking to Ty Lee. He hadn't had a "mother" in some time. Gran Gran was an awesome great-grandmother, but she was getting old and she had chores. She couldn't run around with him all day like Ty Lee could.

"Does anyone come to visit?" Sokka had asked the warrior.

"Other than you and Haru's father, no. Mai sends letters. I haven't heard from anyone else."

She had hoped that Iroh and Ursa would reach out to the children, but it seemed that neither of them could look Rei in the eye since the funeral.

Ty Lee knew that for the most part, she was alone. Even her friends didn't keep her in the loop anymore. It was like she had never been a warrior.

It was almost two weeks in Sokka's stay when Ty Lee finally asked, "why did you and Suki divorce?"

Sokka gulped. He hadn't told anyone, other than his lawyer. "When she was pregnant, I was the happiest man in the world. I was doing flips. I was ready to get a tattoo of our child's name on my chest, but when she reached her seventh month, she told me that the baby might not be mine.

She had been getting fevers, and apparently that happens when nonbenders carry firebenders. She was afraid that it might be a firebender and then it would be obvious." Sokka didn't know whom she had cheated with. It could have been one of the guards or even Zuko. There were lots of firebenders in the palace and she wouldn't tell him.

"I spent the next two months panicked, unsure if I would be able to stay if it wasn't my child, unsure if I should. When he was born, he was clearly mine, my eyes, my skin, my hair, but even then, I still didn't trust her. She lied to me for seven months. She said she was working late when she was sleeping with another man that she was too tired for me because she had given it away to someone else.

I tried to move past it and focus on Hakoda, but I just didn't love her like I once had. She got sick of our "unhappy and sexless" marriage and called it quits. I let her walk. It wasn't until she tried to take Hakoda that we started arguing, and we never saw eye to eye again."

Ty Lee rubbed his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. That must have been miserable."

"It was. It still is, knowing that Hakoda hasn't seen her in over six months. He stopped asking about her. It's like he's already given up."

"I really hope she turns it around."

"Me too, for his sake. He needs a mother."

Ty Lee had always been a beautiful woman, but she became gorgeous when she got Azula's kids. Gone was her childlike innocence and replacing it was the maturity and refinement that comes with being a matriarch. She was truly exquisite.

* * *

The two looked at each other, unsure of what would happen next. They were on the edge of kissing or not kissing and it seemed like they were about to make an excuse and bail when they heard two voices go … "Would you just kiss her already?"

They snapped their heads to see an impatient Rei and Hiro waiting at the staircase. "Seriously, my bedtime was a while ago, and I need my beauty sleep," she told them.

"Up to bed, now!" Ty Lee pointed. The kids made off quickly.

Ty Lee laughed. "Those two are so ridic…" Sokka pulled her towards him, kissing a woman for the first time since Suki had left him. Her lips were soft and fruity and just a little spicy and he relished the taste as he held her close. Her arms wrapped around him and she felt a longing that had been long forgotten. Their lips stayed close for sometime before she gently opened her mouth. He responded and eventually their tongues got involved, and they clashed a few times before they got it right, but once it was right, it was so right. They needed each other.

The kiss lasted for hours. It had been broken a few times, but those breaks were easily forgotten. They fell asleep on the couch and when they woke up, it was morning.

Rei was looking at them. "Are you two going to give us a pseudo-sibling?"

Ty Lee turned pomegranate beet red.

Sokka laughed awkwardly. "Not anytime soon!"

"That's too bad."

Rei made off, having embarrassed Ty Lee enough for the morning.

"We should talk," Sokka told her.

"We should, but I got to get breakfast ready for the kids."

They sent smiles to each other all day. It was at night when it got difficult.

"I really like you," Ty Lee told him.

"I like you too."

"But I belong here, and you belong at the tribe."

"I know."

"How would we make it work?"

"I don't know. Maybe you could come visit in the summer and I could come here before the winter. It would work for a little while."

"Until you became chief."

"Yeah, there is that. That's a few years away at least. Maybe we could just see what happens."

She put her head on his shoulder. "As scary as that sounds, I like the sound of it."

"It's going to be a lonely winter," he said.

"I know, but we can write letters and in the spring, the Earth Kingdom is just wonderful."

"I'll come back, and maybe you can bring the kids to the tribe before next winter."

"They don't get much snow here. There is some, but it is kind of just a tease."

Sokka stayed as long as he could, but he wanted to visit Aang and Katara before the winter. "I haven't seen my nephew in months."

"I'm sure he misses you." Ty Lee gave him a kiss goodbye.

Hiro was sad to see his friend leaving. "Bye Hakoda! Bye Sokka!"

Rei was sad to see them go, not that she would admit it out loud. "Don't hurt yourself," was what she said as they left.

* * *

When Sokka did make it to the Air Nation, he was surprised at how big Bumi had gotten. "He's practically grown!"

"He can walk and talk, although he mostly just says mama and hungry."

"The only words he needs to know." Sokka scooped him up. "Who's my favorite nephew?"

"Were you in Omashu the whole time?" Katara asked him.

"No. We ended up staying with Ty Lee and the kids nearby."

"What?"

"She invited me to stay with them, so I didn't have to pay for an inn and Hakoda liked playing with Hiro and Rei so we went there. "

"How are they doing?" Aang asked tentatively.

"About as well as can be expected." It must be hard living in the house their parents built themselves. Everything in it has something to do with them, some story attached to it.

"How's Ty Lee?"

"Tired but happy. She took to being a mother figure quite well. Hakoda adored her after like the first day."

"I could see that. She's very sweet."

"Albeit a bit goofy," Katara added.

"I think her goofiness is mostly gone." Not completely, because that would be depressing, but she grew up fast.

It was his second night there when Katara asked him how he did it.

"How did I do what?"

"Stay at their house. I don't think I could face her kids again."

"It wasn't easy at all, but Toph suggested it. I had to find closure somehow and I couldn't think of another way. Every time I said something was nice or asked about what something was, it was something that was theirs. It was hard to believe they had the perfect family, but they did. The only thing I can do now is become the best father to Hakoda that I can. He deserves more than a dad who mopes all day."

"Aang and I fought a lot after everything. I know I pushed him too hard but if I didn't get upset about something, I would just start thinking about that explosion. I was too stubborn. I didn't even think about backing down to avoid disaster. I just had to stop her, and all I did was take two children's mother from them."

Sokka hugged his sister. "It will get easier. I know it will."

After a week, Sokka and Hakoda headed home. They had been gone long enough and it was time to return to the tribe.

Katara promised herself that she would make things right with her husband. She watched him play with their little boy. He's so amazing.

Sokka made it back to the tribe and Gran Gran could see the difference. "You're back. You're finally back."

"I am and I have so many stories to tell." Hakoda went to play with his namesake while Sokka explained what happened when he was away.

"I'm glad you met someone," Gran Gran told him at the end of the story.

"I have no idea how it's going to work, but I feel really good about this," like maybe all of the kids could have a two parent home again.

"Well, I look forward to meeting Ty Lee, and these two kids."

Pakku was surprised when he heard that Sokka had visited Ty Lee and the children, but he knew to always expect the unexpected when it came to his "grandson."

Sokka sent letters back and forth to Ty Lee. Most of them were just overviews of his days at the tribe. The days were short and the nights were long. He spent much of his time around a fire. The elders would often read stories aloud and Sokka would sit there with his son, holding him to keep him warm as he listened.

Ty Lee would tell him about her days in the kingdom. It was easier to stay warm with a firebender in the house. She didn't get cold. She could heatbend anyone else to warmth and the fireplace was always at the right temperature.

"We spend a lot of time drinking tea and hot chocolate," she told him.

That sounds really good right now, he thought to himself as he sat with warm water. He drank his water warm in the winters since it was so cold outside.

* * *

In the Fire Nation, Mai just received a letter from Ty Lee.

Dear Mai,

I hope all is well with you, Zuko and little Ursa. Things are going pretty well at the house. Sokka and Hakoda II came for a visit and the children got along well. Rei is still quite a handful, but I think she's beginning to soften around the edges. She and Sokka seemed to get along pretty well before he left, not that she would admit it to me. She just said, "I suppose he's alright for a simple tribesman." Sound like anyone?

Hiro has been teaching himself to earth bend. I'm not sure how he does it, but he seems to retain everything his grandfather teaches him when he visits and then makes up his own variations.

Rei has been reading her mother's firebending scrolls. Apparently, she wrote a how to fire bend guide. Sometimes I have to coax Rei inside. She trains so much, but she says she has to live up to her family name. Like Azula, she is very proud.

The winter is approaching. I'm going to have to get Hiro and Rei new coats because they outgrew their old ones. I swear Hiro outgrows his clothes every time I turn around. I would say he eats too much, but he's growing taller and staying really skinny, like his Dad.

Send everyone my love, and maybe we could visit you this summer.

Ty Lee

* * *

Mai felt like she was in a nightmare that she couldn't escape. She would go on about her day like normal and something would just bring her back to that funeral and seeing those two small kids, their world burning away in front of them.

Mai kept asking herself why didn't Azula just come home? She wrote her will. She prepared to die instead of coming back. Why? Did she really think a reconciliation was impossible?

She spent much of her time alone. Ursa spent a lot of time with her granddaughter and Zuko was going to make those loyalist bastards pay.

Mai knew she needed to spend more time with her daughter, but it just seemed too unfair. She would get to see Ursa grow up. Azula was denied that chance.

* * *

Ursa played dress up with little Ursa. The girl was adorable. She had her mother's eyes and her father's hair. She was happy to have this granddaughter, but sad that there was another one who she didn't know. Who knows if she even wants anything to do with me? She felt like she had failed as a mother, not once, but twice.

When Iroh came to visit, his first time in the palace since the funeral, he had a long conversation with the former Princess about her daughter.

"I never understood the girl, not when she was a child, not when she angrily showed up at my house, and not until the day she died. Somewhere along the way, she fell in love, got married, had two beautiful children, and I missed all of it."

Iroh had no words to comfort her. "I gave up on her a long time ago," he said. "I never thought she would be anything more than her father's pawn. She had so much more to give, and I missed it too."

"Do you think her kids will ever give us a chance?"

"I don't know. Rei is certainly her mother's daughter, but I'd like to think that someday, we could get it right where we failed with her mother."

"They haven't come to visit. I don't know if they plan on it."

"Ty Lee's probably having enough trouble getting them situated where they are. Have you heard from her?"

"Not directly. She writes to Mai periodically, but I only know what Mai tells me."

Iroh wondered if he should visit. Maybe he should write to Ty Lee and see how she's doing.

* * *

Dear Ty Lee,

I hope all is well with you. I know you must have your hands full with two kids and I wish I had been more supportive of you when you first took custody of them, but I was too shell shocked to do much of anything. It just felt so unreal, like it was a bad dream and I would wake up and everything would be normal again.

My reasons, however, are not excuses, and if it would be appropriate, I would like to pay a visit and lend a helping hand.

Iroh

* * *

It took four days for the letter to reach Ty Lee. She was happy to have received it but she was surprised that Iroh had written at all. She wasn't sure if he was still at the palace, but she tried there anyway, figuring they would forward it home if he left.

* * *

Dear Iroh,

Things are going well at the house. It is difficult dealing with two active benders, both of whom like to bend in the middle of the living room, but they are great kids.

Rei's vocabulary is much too adult for her age. Hiro is convinced that he can become a badger mole if he rolls in the dirt long enough. I think Rei might have spoon-fed him this fib.

I would like it if you came to visit. I will warn you now that Hiro will likely be welcoming. Rei will probably not be so welcoming at first. She is quite protective of her mother, and it hasn't been easy given the things that people still say about her when we go out in public.

She does, eventually, warm up to people, so I hope you give her a chance.

Ty Lee

* * *

Two weeks later, Iroh was in Omashu making his way to the cottage that Azula had once called home.

Rei was not exactly thrilled when Ty Lee told her that he would be visiting. He never bothered with her mother. Why should she bother with him? Ty Lee tried to encourage her to be forgiving, but it was not a concept that came easily to the young princess. She opted to go to her room and stay there for the time being.

Hiro on the other hand understood much less of the family dynamics. He saw an old man and heard uncle and that was all he needed to hear.

"Uncle Iroh!" he said with a childish squeal.

The older Prince picked up his nephew. "Look how big you've grown."

"I'm almost 4!"

"What do you want for your birthday?"

"I don't know."

"Well, make sure to tell me when you figure it out."

"How have you been?" Ty Lee hugged him.

"I've seen better days, but I can't complain. He looks just like his father."

"I know. He acts like him too. Would you like some tea?"

"I'll never turn it down."

"Even if I make it. Rei insists I over steep it. She says her internal clock tells her when the tea is ready."

"Well isn't she a sophisticated five year old."

"Don't remind me. She's also a food critic, a wine connoisseur even though she doesn't drink it and she's a fashion expert. She keeps telling me I'm at least ten years too old to wear pink."

"Ouch!"

Just then Rei came and poured the tea. "You were going to over steep it again."

"You didn't even see me brew it."

"I just know okay, and I could hear you gabbing from a km away."

"I'm am not that loud!"

"Keep telling yourself that. Hiro, stop climbing on that before you bust your head."

He had climbed up the bookshelf." Ty Lee went and got him down.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to show Iroh how high I can climb."

"Well you are a good climber," Iroh told him, "but let's stay on the ground for today."

"Okay. Can I climb tomorrow?"

"He struggles with core concepts," Rei said dryly.

"Rei," Ty Lee chided.

"What? He is three. You have to tell him the same thing every day." Rei sipped her tea. "Where did you get this?"

"Aunt Wu's."

"I could tell. Her tea blends are funky."

"It's just fine."

Rei looked at her but said no more. Her mother would never buy this stuff, but as far as parenting goes, Ty Lee isn't so bad at it. She was actually pretty good at it.

"Why don't you show Iroh the new trick you learned?"

Rei glared at her but then she went outside. She made two flames, each of them blue and managed to spin her arms off beat, making two ribbons of fire that were in a half phase with each other. After making a three beat weaving pattern, she managed to make a five beat. She tried for seven but her arms got tangled up. "I'm not quick enough for the last part yet."

Iroh had never seen anything like it. "That was very impressive; how long have you been firebending?"

"Since I was two. My first word was agni. I'm pretty sure Mom taught me to channel him before she taught me to walk."

Not wanting to be left out, Hiro ran outside. "I can do stuff too." He stomped his foot, making a giant Earth clod. Rei ducked for cover, but Hiro stomped two more times, breaking it into tiny pieces that bounced around on the ground.

"When did you learn that?"

"Last week. I teach myself when grandpa's not here."

Iroh knew very little about earthbending other than what he had learned to fight them during the war, but he knew that Hiro had very good control for a boy his age. Most three year olds would be just picking up dirt if they could do that. Many benders couldn't do it until they were five or maybe even seven. Ursa appeared to be a late bloomer like her father.

Iroh offered to teach Rei in the mornings. She looked like she wanted to say, "Piss off," but when Ty Lee gave her that look, she "graciously accepted."

He knew it wouldn't be easy earning the firebender's trust, but he was determined not to give up. Rei was the closest to redemption he was ever going to get.

* * *

Ty Lee would watch their practices every morning, hoping that this would be a chance for them to get to know each other. She thought Iroh was a good man, a seriously flawed man, but who in the Fire Nation royalty hadn't been. No one makes it through the treachery of Azulon and Ozai unscathed. Everyone came out with scars. She hoped that the healing could finally begin.

Hiro loved watching their practices, trying to copy the forms even though they didn't go with his element. He thought his sister was so cool. Everything came naturally to her.

Rei had to admit that her great uncle was a very talented bender. There was a reason he had been called Dragon of the West. One day, she asked him why he and her mother had never gotten along.

"She was a very difficult person to reach when she was growing up. She knew what was expected of her from her father, to best her brother, to win battles to be fierce and anyone who wanted something else from her became an obstacle." Iroh had eventually decided she was incapable of having a different life.

"What about what she wanted for herself?" It didn't seem fair. Ozai caused so many problems, but he lived. She was the child, and she died.

He had always assumed that she wanted what Ozai wanted for her, but he had never asked. "I never knew what she wanted for herself, what kind of person she would be without Ozai there. You and Hiro probably knew her better than anyone else, other than your father."

Of course he didn't know; he never asked. No one did.

* * *

After two weeks, Iroh headed back to his teashop. The winter was almost over. When the spring came, his clientele would be bigger again and he had to get ready. Hiro told Iroh to visit again soon. Rei hugged her uncle, but she didn't have any parting words for him. Iroh thought that was a success in itself.

"Take care Ty Lee."

"You too Iroh."


	4. Spring Surprises

It was Hiro's birthday. The four year old celebrated at home with his sister, grandfather and Ty Lee. Sokka had sent the boy a practice boomerang for his birthday. Iroh got him a practice sword. "I'm going to slay the dragons!" Hiro proclaimed as he ran around the living room with it. Mai had sent him some clothes and Fire Nation chocolates. He dove for the chocolates and Ty Lee moved the clothes before he could get them dirty. She wasn't sure when he would need such fancy attire, but he had it just in case.

Rei had gotten him a book from the bookstore and said she would read it to him at night. She couldn't read Karo Finds a Dragon to him, so she had to find something else. She found children's story called, Springtime Around the World.

His grandfather got him a wooden puzzle.

They were about to cut the cake when the doorbell rang. A parcel came for Hiro.

Ty Lee opened it for him and there was a present and a card. The card said Happy Birthday Hiro with love.

The card was unsigned but the handwriting looked familiar. Ty Lee kept the card.

Hiro opened the present, and it was a model sky ship, the newest one in the line that Haru had once collected.

"It's a ship like Dad's." He was ecstatic.

Ty Lee didn't even think to get him this. Who did and who wouldn't sign the card?

They continued with the party, but Ty Lee was confused and Rei could see it in her face. She said nothing, waiting for her chance to examine the card.

When the kids were in bed, Ty Lee compared the card to Azula's letter. It was her handwriting. Did she have the present ready in case she died?

She showed it to Haru's grandfather.

"That is so odd. How about I go to the toy store tomorrow and see if I can figure out who purchased it. The store that sells these is in Omashu."

Ty Lee kept the card with the letter and struggled to sleep. Was this a sign from her friend? What did it mean?

Haru's grandfather didn't sleep well either. He never told anyone about the hitman. Haru told him to keep it quiet and when Azula died, he was scared that mentioning it would only bring more danger. He thought the kids were safer if he didn't tell anyone. Maybe the hitman would just go away, but now he wondered if he should tell Ty Lee. If this is a message that she had prepared, they could be in danger.

He got to the store as soon as it was open and to his surprise; the new line had not been announced until September. Azula couldn't have preordered it before she died.

"Can anyone just pay for a boat even if the model isn't out yet?"

"No one has ever tried, but even if they did, we wouldn't know the price until it was done."

He told Ty Lee that Azula couldn't have ordered it.

Rei overheard the whispered conversations, and she confronted Ty Lee.

"What aren't you telling us?"

"What?"

"You said you wouldn't keep things from us but something happened. You've been acting strange ever since Hiro got that toy. Who sent it?"

"I don't know," she said honestly.

She showed Rei the card.

Rei flipped it over. It said, "Follow your heart and I know you will find us."

She showed Ty Lee.

"I didn't even realize there was something on the back."

* * *

The acrobat asked Haru's father what it meant.

"When Azula first went missing, she told Haru to follow his heart and he would find her. He did and he found her before he came back for the kids."

"What if they're alive?" Ty Lee asked. "No one found their bodies. They could be saying to go where she hid before and find them."

"I wish it was true, but it could be a trap."

"What?"

"Someone sent a hitman after Azula. It's why she wouldn't turn herself into the Avatar. She was scared. This could be a note from her, but it could also be unfinished business."

"Then I'll go alone."

"What?"

"If my friend is out there, and she needs help, then I have to find her. At the very least, her kids deserve to know the truth."

"I can't just let you go alone."

"You have to stay with Rei and Hiro. They need someone to be there if something happens to me."

They argued back and forth, but Ty Lee refused to stay put.

He eventually agreed to stay with the kids.

Ty Lee kissed their foreheads in the early morning before she got ready to leave. She rushed to get out of the house before they woke up.

She was just on her way out the backdoor when she saw Rei and Hiro. How did they get up so fast?

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Out to the market."

"It's not open yet and we were eavesdropping last night and know you're going to look for Mom and Dad."

"What have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"To find out what people say behind your back and tell you."

"Pigeon Rats!" She did tell them that. "It's way too dangerous."

"No way are we staying home. Last time they were in trouble we couldn't help them. I'm not going to let her down twice."

"But if something happened to you, your parents would be devastated, and so would I."

"I'm tough, and he has a boomerang."

Ty Lee tried to get them in the house, but Hiro trapped her feet in the dirt.

"Either you take us, or you're stuck here."

Her jaw dropped. "I don't believe this."

She left their grandfather a note, saying she had to take them with her and she set a course for where they might be.

* * *

They weren't sure where Haru had found her last time, so they tried a few places, where they first met, where they got married and where the kids had been born. They also checked birth records to see if a child had been born in November or December that could be their sibling, but nothing matched.

"The people at their old house were nice." Hiro said

They had given them dumplings, but they knew little about Mina and Haru. "They just wanted a bigger house since they were having a second baby." It was all they had remembered.

Where else do people leave their heart? It's not at home or their old home. The only thing they could think of was their honeymoon.

"Do you know where they spent their honeymoon?"

"Dad said it was in a cottage by a river, but I don't remember the name."

Luckily, there was only spot on the river by Omashu that had a set of cottages.

They got to the rental office and tried to find out if their parents had rented the cottage.

"They would have rented it two or three times, the first time being about seven years ago, the second time being last year and the third time also being last year."

"The same cottage?"

"Yes. The woman is short and thin and looks like me, the man is tall and brawny and looks like him," Rei pointed at her brother.

"Hmm, that actually does sound familiar. Try cottage 17."

Of course 17 was the highest one up. They marched for what felt like hours, but it was only 45 minutes in the humidity before they got there.

Ty Lee told them to stand back. She knocked on the door and when it was locked, she picked it to get inside.

"Azula, Haru, are you here?"

Ty Lee checked carefully, waiting for a trap or an assassin hidden somewhere.

When Rei looked through the back window, she saw a figure that she knew was her mother sleeping and ran inside.

"Mom it's us."

"Rei, I told you to wait outside."

"She's asleep. I saw her."

Bickering, they went into the bedroom, and there was Azula asleep, and by her bed was a crib with a young baby girl in it.

Rei gently coaxed her mother awake.

Azula opened her eyes, sure she was dreaming before she said, "You found me!"

She hugged her daughter tightly. "I missed you so much."

Rei was so happy she cried. "I'm just glad you're alive."

Ty Lee just realized they left Hiro alone. She ran out to get him. "Your Mom is here!"

He ran into the house, yelling her name until he found her.

"Hush, you'll wake up our baby sister."

"Aw, I was hoping for a brother."

"She's an earthbender like you," Azula told her son.

"I win!" both siblings claimed.

Hiro hugged his mother.

"Where is Dad?"

"He's trying to find the people who wanted to hurt me."

Azula explained to Ty Lee that the boat had been rigged. "I jumped just before it exploded and when Haru saw my footprints, he knew I escaped and was hiding, so he covered them. He faked his death because he didn't want me trying to track these people alone and pregnant. We didn't want to do it. We knew it was unfair to our children and to you, but if we didn't figure it out, we would have to sleep with one eye open, forever, and we couldn't do that either."

"Why didn't you just come home?"

"I think Zuko is the one trying to kill me, but I can't prove it."

Haru was amazed that his family was back together again.

"I didn't think you'd find us so quickly."

"Well, Rei's the one who thought to check the back."

"You got a cryptic message and a suspicious package, and you didn't check the back," Azula chided.

"I was too confused by seeing your handwriting. I thought you had sent it before you died."

"It's why I picked a new toy, so you would know."

Haru explained to Ty Lee what he had learned, but it wasn't much.

"So there is a group of people trying to dethrone Zuko, but it's not clear that they're trying to do anything violent. From what I can tell, they think they can drive him out with the will of the people. I didn't find any indication that they had wanted Azula to rule. They may have been trying to get a new royal family in place, so I'm not sure why he thought Azula was behind it."

"So these people aren't 'loyalists.'"

"Well there are those too, but they seem to be just defeated people griping. The people who are active seem to be more soapbox speakers than anything else."

"Did you try tracking down the first hitman?"

"We couldn't. I think whomever hired him killed him after he refused, and my guess is that his replacement rigged the boat but nothing panned out. We found former Dai Li and some friends of Kuei. We even tracked down Long Feng, but we couldn't find anyone who seemed to have an active grudge against Azula. It was like most people had forgotten about her until the explosion."

"Except the only person who I know was looking for me before the explosion."

"She still thinks it was Zuko. I want to say it wasn't, but if not him, then who?"

"Why would he try to kill you?"

"He might have been concerned that the loyalists would team up with these freedom people and together they could take him out. He might not have realized that I had kids and thought he could get rid of me before I produced heirs. I don't know exactly why he would target me, but I've seen that throne corrupt people. I've lived through it. I have to be prepared for the worst."

Ty Lee promised to keep their survival a secret and headed back to their house. She told Haru's father that the children were reunited with their parents and he has a new granddaughter, Ta Min. "She's an earthbender and she has Haru's eyes but Azula's hair."

"All this time they were in the cottage."

"The boat was another attempt on her life. They thought hiding would be safer for the kids."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." She couldn't break her promise, but she hated that Azula's family missed her so much, not that she knew how her mother and uncle had grieved. It seemed so unfair not to tell them, but what if she was right? What if it was Zuko? She couldn't be the reason Azula's kids lost their mother again.

She decided to do the one thing she could do, go to Ba Sing Se and see what answers she could get out of Iroh.

"Ty Lee. What a surprise? Are the kids with you?"

"Unfortunately no. They're with their grandfather. I wanted to talk to you about Azula. I had some questions and I wasn't sure who else could answer them."

"I can try, but I don't know what help I would be."

"Do you know why someone would have sent a hit man after her?"

"What?"

"Someone had sent an assassin after her. It's why she wouldn't turn herself in and I'm worried that if it was about her bloodline, then Rei's in danger too."

Iroh's face fell. She could take the throne. "The line of succession after Zuko is Ursa II and then Rei. Unless someone thought they could control Rei as a regent, I can't think of what good getting rid of Azula would have done for them."

"What if they didn't know about Rei, and they just thought Azula was it in her chain?"

"That is even more confusing to me unless they wanted to ensure that only Zuko's line could take the throne. Zuko had been having political problems around that time. Someone might have been concerned Azula would usurp him and tried to take her out preemptively. With her gone, then only Ursa II could have succeeded unless Zuko has more kids or Ursa II does before he retires, but I have trouble believing that someone would try to kill her before she even tried anything. It seems too attenuated, like they expected Zuko to lose control and for Ursa II to be pushed out of the way. I wish I could help more."

"Actually, I think you helped more than you know." The wheels were turning in Ty Lee's head.

"If you are concerned for any reason, please contact me. I wasn't there for Azula, and I don't want to have to say the same about Rei."

"I will."

Ty Lee felt bad that she hadn't told him the truth, but Azula and to figure out how she was going to reconcile with her family. Ty Lee couldn't make that choice for her. The chi blocker was so preoccupied with her investigation that she had forgotten about Sokka's planned visit. When he arrived with Hakoda, he was surprised to see that the kids weren't home.

"I forgot you were coming," she admitted.

"Ouch, did you get a new boyfriend?" Sokka tried to lighten the mood.

"No, it wasn't like that. A lot of things came up here and I had to go to Ba Sing Se and as you can see, the kids aren't here."

"Are they with their grandfather? We could visit them there."

Ty Lee couldn't lie to him. Hopefully, Azula won't be too mad. "No and before I tell you, I need you to promise not to tell anyone, not Aang, not Zuko not anyone."

"I promise to keep it quiet."

"You should probably sit down for this."

He sat down wondering what it could be.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I first found out, but I made a promise that I thought I should keep, until now, and it was a dire situation. Azula and Haru faked their deaths."

Sokka's jaw dropped. "Please tell me you didn't just say Azula and Haru faked their deaths."

"I just said it. Before you flip ou,t and I see you about to yell, so try and take a breath. I didn't know until less than a month ago, neither did their kids."

"Where could they have been? How could they do that to their kids?"

"A hit man had tried to kill Azula twice and they thought their family would be safer if everyone thought they were dead already."

"A hit man?"

"One ambushed her when she was in the hospital. Another one rigged the boat that exploded. When Haru realized she survived, he faked his death so he could protect her while she was pregnant and try to figure out who did it. They still don't know who's behind it, but they wanted to be with their kids again, so they sent me a message, so I would come find them."

"So they're not dead, and their baby?"

"Is a healthy baby girl."

"Any other surprised."

"Azula is convinced it was Zuko, and I tried to find proof it wasn't him, so she could just go back to the palace and reconcile with her family, but I came up empty. Haru said he looked into Long Feng and the other likely suspects and he found nothing."

"Why would Zuko send a hit man to kill her if he sent me and the others to find her?"

"Azula thinks that was the point, send you to find her and have the hit man follow you, which is easy when Aang is so recognizable and then kill her before she could be captured."

"She thinks that Zuko played us."

"Yes, and I can't believe that, or at least I really don't want to without any evidence, but I don't know what really happened and until I do, I can't risk telling people. I know Iroh is so upset about it and so are Ursa and Mai, but what if I spill the beans and something horrible happens. I can't watch Rei and Hiro lose their mother again."

Sokka nodded. "This is some serious stuff. Have they just been observing these groups from the outside?"

"I think so."

"I don't think that's enough. I think you need an inside man to join the group and see what's really going on. If Azula wasn't responsible for that letter, then someone was and we need to know if it was them and if it wasn't, then someone might be trying to play Zuko and Azula against each other, the same person who sent the hit man."

"Who's going to just join a subversive political group?"

"We could do it."

"What?" Has he lost his mind?

"You were her best friend and could say you hold Zuko accountable for her death. I could join as the angry husband and say he ruined my marriage."

"Did he ruin your marriage?"

"I'm not sure. I want to think she just had an affair with a guard, but she would only say it was a firebender."

Ty Lee went to see what Haru could tell them about the group. Azula wasn't happy that she had told her boyfriend about them, but she felt better when Sokka said he was going to join the group and see if he could help them.

"It's the least I can do."

Azula and Haru took in Hakoda II and Sokka and Ty Lee were off. Haru's father came to help her with the kids while Haru snooped around on his own.

He was so relieved to see his Dad. "I'm so sorry about what we did but …"

His father cut him off. "I told you to follow your heart and you did. I'm just glad you're still here."

He scooped up his newest granddaughter. "Ta Min is gorgeous. She has her mother's mouth." He kissed her forehead. Azula ran to the bathroom and threw up.

"Are you okay?"

"I haven't been feeling so good the past few days."

When she didn't get better and when she kept reacting to normal smells, Haru asked her if she was pregnant again.

Probably. "You just love keeping me fat don't you?"

He held her close. "Another baby, I can't think of anything better."

They waited to make sure before they shared the news, but it looked like their brood was getting even bigger.

Rei and Hiro liked the cottage where they were hiding out. They could still go into the city with their grandfather and sometimes they went to the house to get different clothes and toys, but they spent most of the time with their mother and their new baby sister.

"I can't wait until she can earthbend, like me."

"I can't wait to teach her how to make tea." She had been having tea parties with Ty Lee and her toys.

When Ty Lee did get to the Fire Nation, it felt surreal. She hadn't been here since the funeral and even though her friend was alive, the threat to her was still real.

She asked around, casually trying to learn people's attitudes about life and seeing what they had to say about politics. When people said something other than so-so, she paid attention. She wanted to know who supported Zuko very strongly and who really wanted him gone.

* * *

Eventually, she and Sokka came to a tavern where there was some kind of meeting going on in the back. Sokka saw the waitress and offered her a few coins if she would tell them who they were.

"I don't know them all by name, but they come here every Thursday and meet in the back. They have come kind of deal with the owner and whatever they say, they don't want people to know it."

"Have you seen any new members join them?"

"I haven't but the boy in the black and white shirt, he talks the most when he's drunk. Buy him a round or two after, and he might tell you something good."

"Thanks."

Ty Lee decided to butter him up when the men were leaving. "Hey Cutie," she said as she batted her eyelashes. He looked at her chest and grinned.

"Hello! What can I do you for?"

"I was wondering if you might like to have a drink with little old me."

"I can't say you're little or old but sure."

It took three beers to get him to blab. "So we just discuss politics. We're not rebels or fighters or anything. We just want to make this country better, get people to work, get food on the table."

"Have you tried talking to the council?"

"They're all either scared of the Fire Lord or in his back pocket. The current system leaves them too weak. We have to decentralize the Fire Lord's authority to ever have real peace, but that will only happen if a Fire Lord is willing to change."

"You don't think Zuko will."

"I think Zuko's idea of peace is giving everything away to the Earth Kingdom. What about our kids? They weren't fighters. Is their hunger not as real as the children in Gaoling? Look, I probably told you more than I should have, but I mean it when I say we're the good guys. We just want what's fair."

He stumbled off.

"Well, they hardly seem like the kind of people who would put a hit on the Princess." Sokka said annoyed that it was a dead end.

"This is actually helpful."

"How?"

"They wanted a Fire Lord who would share power. If I hadn't seen Azula since the war, she's the last person they would expect to be on their side."

"Which means?"

"Which means she didn't contact them."

"We already knew that."

"But now we know they didn't make it up to get excitement. Wasn't that the theory before?"

"So someone was trying to make her and this group look bad."

"Exactly and who benefits from both of them taking a fall?"

"Zuko," Sokka said softly. Could it be? Did his friend play him from the start?

It was hardly evidence, but it was enough to get them to focus on who lost out if Zuko was forced out of the crown. Mai's family could be behind this or maybe nobles who had invested in Zuko, donated money to his causes, thrown their political weight behind him.

They started running down leads, but no one seemed to come across as very suspicious. Sure there were people who wanted Zuko to stay put, but none of them seemed shady, at least not to Sokka and Ty Lee.

* * *

Eventually, Mai discovered their presence and they came to the palace.

"So what are you two doing, and where are the children?"

"Rei and Hiro are with their grandfather and Hakoda II is with him too."

"We were trying to figure out who was behind that fake letter from Azula."

"Why does it matter now?"

"A few months ago, Haru's father told me that a hit man had been after her, which was why she refused to turn herself in. If the letter was about her bloodline, then Rei could be in danger."

"The loyalist group was a dead end, so we were just snooping, hoping to find something useful."

"Well if you do find anything useful, please let us know. We could offer assistance or at least protection."

"I know, but sometimes it's easier to just go in. The fewer people involved, the fewer chances to get caught."

Mai didn't ask when they shared a room in the palace. Sokka snuck out of his room in the middle of the night. He had an idea.

He made it to the doctor's office and picked the lock. He went in and checked Mai's medical records. She was suspected of being infertile. He sent her to get a second opinion. Unfortunately, the results of which were not there. If she couldn't have anymore kids, then perhaps that was a reason to get rid of Azula, to try and make sure that Ursa II was the only heir, but it was too late since Azula already had kids.

Sokka went back to bed and in the morning, he told Ty Lee what he had found out.

"But didn't you tell Zuko that Azula had two kids?"

"I thought Aang did, why?"

"If he already knew, then why send a hit man for her when it is already too late? He would have to take out Rei too."

"Maybe he had already sent the hit men before he got our letter."

Sokka and Ty Lee returned with what they knew.

"I'm sorry we didn't learn more."

Azula took out a pen and paper. "Let's go through what you learned step by step. It might be more useful than you think. So we know that the group that wants to get rid of Zuko had no interest in getting me to join and had no reason to make up the letter."

"Right."

"So whomever wrote the letter either wanted to get them in trouble, me or both."

"Right."

"Zuko and his supporters stand to gain if either the group or I goes down for treason."

"Right."

"The only heirs after Zuko are Ursa II, me and Rei."

"Right," Ty Lee said.

"What about Hiro and Ta Min?" Sokka questioned.

"They have to be firebenders to take the crown. I assume Ursa II can firebend now."

"Actually, Mai didn't say she could, and I think she would have told me."

"Interesting since she's five, but if she was a nonbender, Zuko and Mai would have known to have another child and they have not."

"Actually, she might be sterile."

"WHAT? That's like the most important thing you learned."

"Oh Sorry, Zula! Sokka went snooping through her medical chart, and they sent her for tests. We didn't see the results."

"If she is sterile, and Zuko didn't want to have a child with another woman, and Ursa II is a nonbender, then that is a very good reason to try and get rid of me."

"Why?" Ty Lee was missing why these were all coming together.

"The only way to change the law so that nonbenders can be Fire Lord is to get the Fire Sages and the Council to agree. Even if Zuko could get a new law through the Council, the Sages won't agree to it as long as there is a firebending alternative.

Ursa II would only be able to take the throne if I died before I had firebenders or if they died too. If Zuko's reign was tumultuous like Iroh had told you it was, he might have been afraid that people would try to force him out and put me or a kid of mine on the throne, therefore he tried to kill me before I could procreate, but it was already too late."

"This doesn't sound like Zuko," Ty Lee admitted.

"It sounds like Ozai," Azula said.

Ty Lee frowned.

"What?"

"Mai dumped Zuko when he kept getting political advice from Ozai."

"Now you tell me!"

"Sorry, I didn't think it was important. That was years ago."

"Ozai playing puppet master is important always. Just because Mai think Zuko is no longer listening to Ozai, doesn't mean it is true."

"If Ozai did feed him the idea, then wouldn't he try to get rid of Rei too?" Sokka questioned.

"Not so quickly. If he did it right after me, then Zuko would be the number one suspect. He was probably trying to wait long enough, so it wouldn't be suspicious."

"Zuko was pretty mad when he didn't get custody," Ty Lee admitted.

The children (minus a sleeping Ta Min) were with Haru's father at the Spring Festival. Azula didn't want them around for the conspiracy talk.

Haru came home and asked Azula if she was feeling better.

"You're sick?" Ty Lee asked her.

"I'm pregnant."

"Again?" said Sokka.

"Now you tell me!"


	5. Decisions Decisions

AN: I thought about whether or not Rei's age made sense, and she had been older when I started writing it, but then I realized my timeline wasn't canon anymore so I changed it and absentmindedly, I never went going back and made her act younger. I won't be re-editing the beginning, but I will be mindful of her age going forward and hopefully she won't change too much but will seem more age-appropriate.

* * *

Decisions Decisions

Over the summer, Azula started to get a baby bump. She still wasn't sure what to do now. She couldn't just go to the palace and say I accuse Zuko of trying to murder me. She needed to catch him red handed.

Ty Lee tried to convince her to talk to her family members, sans Zuko.

"They'll never believe that he tried to kill me."

"Maybe not, but they will protect you and your children. He won't be able to try again."

Azula wasn't sure of that, but she decided to at least try to give Iroh a chance. She was surprised to learn that he had tried to get to know her children.

* * *

When Iroh got the invitation to come to the cottage in the fall, Ty Lee outside met him. "I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone what you see inside."

"I promise, but what is it?"

Iroh went inside and was surprised to see Azula holding one baby and pregnant with another. Before he could say anything to her, Hiro jumped in his arms. "Uncle Iroh!"

"Hiro. You're so big."

"Daddy's been teaching me earthbending!"

"Isn't that something? How about you go play with your big sister while I talk to your Mom?"

"Rei, play with me!"

The kids ran outside. "You're it," Rei yelled as she got out the door first.

"No fair!"

"I must say this is a shock." Iroh turned to his niece.

"I guess I didn't like being dead," Azula tried to joke.

Iroh was furious. "What on Earth possessed you to fake your death? Do you have any idea how devastated everyone was?"

"I didn't believe Ty Lee when she told me, but this wasn't a prank. Someone tried to kill me, twice. Both of them were close calls, and I thought my kids were safer if whomever was targeting me thought he succeeded, so I played dead."

"And what about Haru?"

"I was pregnant. He didn't want me trying to chase failed hitmen and hiding alone, so he faked his death to join me, and we've been living underground ever since. We keep looking, but we haven't been able to conclusively prove anything."

"But you have suspicions."

"I do, but I can't do anything without either evidence or catching him in the act and most people aren't seen when they try to hire hit men."

"This is why Ty Lee came to see me," he realized.

"She was hoping to come up with a motive. Clearly it's someone who wants me gone who isn't willing to do the dirty work himself. We tried looking into Kuei's people, Long Feng, various resistance groups from the war, but no one was talking about me before "I died." My death got everyone talking, so I have to assume whoever thinks that he killed me wouldn't be in a position to brag about it."

"Which means?"

"This is about our bloodline and not about revenge for the war. If it is about Fire Nation politics, then whomever did this would be facing treason charges."

"What are you going to do?"

"Ty Lee wants me to come home. She thinks we can head off any threat from the palace, but I don't know if I feel safe there now. I can't hide forever, but when do I go back. How do I just say, yeah I'm not dead?"

"You have to tell your mother. She has been beside herself for a year."

Before Azula could respond, Haru came home. "I brought you that peach jam you like."

Her pregnancy cravings always involved moon peach products of some kind.

"Iroh, you're here."

"I am. How are you holding up?"

"Okay. My dad's been a big help, as have Ty Lee and Sokka."

"Sokka?"

"Oops."

"He's been a sleuth for us while we were in hiding, going to bars, chasing leads. He didn't find too much physical evidence, but we're starting to get an idea of why I might have been targeted." Azula explained.

"How did that happen?"

"He has some kind of relationship with Ty Lee. I didn't ask for the details."

"Are they gonna get married?" Hiro asked his mother. The children followed Haru back into the house.

"I don't know yet. Why don't you ask them the next time you see them together?"

"Okay!"

Iroh shook his head. "Now that's mean."

"I can't be too nice to them. What would people say?"

Iroh sent a letter to Ursa from Omashu, encouraging her to come meet her grandchildren. "I think now's the time for us all to bury the hatchet."

She came alone, Mai deciding to stay with Ursa II and Zuko said he was too busy this time but maybe next time.

When she got to the cottage, he warned her that Azula and Haru were still alive.

"What?"

She went into the cottage to see her daughter for the first time in seven years, clearly pregnant, and her children napping in the back of the home.

"How? What?" She hugged her little girl for the first time in over a decade.

Before Azula could explain anything, her baby started to cry. "Hold on, I need to get Ta Min."

"You named her Ta Min?"

She brought out the youngest princess. She was almost nine months old now, and she reached out for her grandmother. "Do you want to hold her?"

Ursa scooped the baby in her arms. She had her father's eyes, but her mother's nose and mouth. "She's perfect."

"She's an earthbender or she will be. I hope she's a bit cleaner than Hiro."

They sat down and Azula explained the attempts on her life and how she and Haru hid to protect their children and try to eliminate the threat.

"Why didn't you just come home?" She knew things weren't good between Azula and the family, but were they that bad?

"I wasn't sure if I would be followed there," or if Zuko had hired the hit men. "As long as the Avatar was looking for me, it was too easy to find me. All people would need to do was find him. I needed him to abandon the search so I gave him a reason to quit. I did almost die when the boat exploded, but when I survived, I decided to just sneak away. When Haru started screaming, everyone looked at him. No one noticed me walking down the beach and away from the fire."

"When did your kids find out?"

"In April. I left a clue with Hiro's birthday present so Ty Lee would come find us. We knew no one was looking for us anymore, and I thought it was better if we stayed together."

"You've been hiding in this little cottage for over a year?"

"It's been a humble life, but I was pretty busy. Ta Min was born in the end of December and I was taking care of her while Haru chased leads. She was born in the bathtub. I thought Haru was going to faint."

"I can't believe it." Ursa was looking at her daughter, now a mother of three and soon to be four and holding her third granddaughter.

Haru came home, and he met his mother in law for the first time. "I didn't know you would get here so quickly."

"I took a sky ship. Oh he's so handsome."

"Down Mother."

"Oh hush Azula."

Azula wanted to wait until her baby was born before she went back to the palace. She wanted to be able to at least fight somewhat before she possibly confronted her brother. Her baby was due in early January. Ursa thought she should come back to the palace and have the baby there. "What if it's complicated?"

Eventually, Azula agreed to go to Omashu, so she could have the baby in a hospice, but not be where anyone would likely recognize her.

She had planned on going to Omashu in the beginning of December and waiting until the delivery, but her baby decided he wanted out along the way.

"I'm having a baby," she told her husband.

"I know Honey, one more month."

"No you idiot! My water just broke."

"Oh crap!"

They had been in a carriage that Ty Lee had rented for them. He had to take her straight to the hospital.

When they got her there, she was yelling, cursing and flailing like only a woman about to give birth can.

They got her to the delivery wing and she had to wait. This is the worst part.

Haru registered them under a fake name, hoping no one would recognize them.

He sent a message to his father the messenger hawk has landed. The grandfather had gotten the house ready while Ty Lee had been at the cottage with the children. He went into the hospital to make sure they had everything they needed and then he went to the cottage to get Ty Lee. She and the kids were so excited. "You're getting a new sibling today!" she told them.

They all got to the grandfather's house ,and Ty Lee went to go check on the baby. At 1AM, after a labor that went on for 12 hours, Prince Lu Ten II was born.

"He's a firebender," the doctor told them.

They wrote undecided for his name on his birth certificate, so no one would know Lu Ten was a Prince. They figured they'd get him a new certificate in the Fire Nation.

It was a couple of days before Azula could make it to her father in law's house. When she did, everyone was excited to meet the baby Prince.

Hiro was glad that he had a brother. Rei was glad she had a firebending brother. Now it was even.

* * *

Spring 109AG

Zuko was not happy to learn that Azula's death had only encouraged the group trying to oust him. Apparently the loyalists and the "democracy" group had been at odds over the unstable princess. The loyalists insisted someone from the line of Sozin rule and the democracy group afraid to include her in their plans. With her death and the discovery of her firebending daughter, there were now talks of trying to put her on the throne with a regent, giving the loyalists the bloodline they require and the democracy group a chance for change.

Zuko went to visit his father. "Your advice sucked. Now the people are rallying after Azula's death."

"Now what are you going to do, kill a child? Wait until she grows up and hope she doesn't get in your way?"

"I don't know what to do about her. I haven't even seen her since Azula's funeral."

"The acrobat got her. You couldn't even hold onto the heir."

Zuko scowled. "I will hold onto my Crown. I am not you father."

"I know. I never faced a peasant revolt or whoever is up against you. At least I got taken down by the best bender alive, even if he was a 12 year old little shit."

Zuko needed to strike down these groups, but so far all they did was muse. It wasn't enough to bring charges, and without Azula as a scapegoat, it would be hard to get the Avatar to act. He needed to give him a reason. First, he needed to come up with one.

While Zuko was working, Mai was in her daughter's room playing with her. She remembered when this room was Azula's. It was a whole lifetime ago.

Ty Lee came to the palace and found Mai. "I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Of course." She took her daughter to an attendant to watch her and followed Ty Lee to the tearoom.

"First I must apologize from hiding the truth from you. I didn't want to, but it wasn't my secret to tell, and I couldn't risk any trouble from my big mouth."

"What did you keep from me and why?"

"It's not a what. It's a whom."

Azula came out holding a two-month-old boy. "Hello Mai."

Mai almost fainted. Then she got enraged. "What the fuck is this? Did you think playing dead was a game? A way of getting back at your brother? Of putting me through hell!"

"No. I sincerely mean it when I say I wouldn't have done this to my children or anyone else if it could have been avoided. There were two attempts on my life and both were very close calls. I survived by luck, and not skill and I couldn't risk being around my children, so I pretended not to survive the explosion, hoping that whoever was targeting me would stop.

When they did, I left clues so Ty Lee could bring my kids to me. She did and I explained why I did it and what we had been doing. Haru and I tried to find the source but we couldn't get any proof. We could only eliminate suspects. Ty Lee went to investigate on our behalf along with Sokka and they were able to eliminate more suspects, but we still had no conclusive proof.

I can't prove who tried to kill me by myself, but I'm sure I know who it was and I think I can prove it with your help. I know you don't owe me anything, far from it, but my kids shouldn't have to live in fear, hoping that I won't get blown up or shot by an arrow. I should be able to take them out in public again and try to give them a normal life."

"What can I do?" Mai was frustrated that the truth had been hidden from her, but she'd rather be in the know than outside of it and it seemed like yet again, she would be playing Azula's game.

"First, you can answer some questions for me that will help me figure out what exactly is going on. Can little Ursa bend?"

"Not yet, but she's only five."

"What color eyes does she have?"

"Brown like mine."

A sign she's a nonbender. "This is personal, but have you and Zuko tried to have another child."

Mai frowned. "Nothing happened. I thought I was infertile, but the doctors couldn't find a reason for it. They said sometimes it's not always visible."

Azula had an idea. "Would you mind if I took a look at your medical history? I think there's more to the story."

Mai wasn't sure what Azula hoped to find, but she let her into the doctor's office anyway. She was surprised when Azula took two charts and not just one.

"I need them both. Together, they will tell a story. Also, you should hold your nephew. His name is Lu Ten II."

Mai picked him up. He had his mother's eyes and his father's hair. "He's a sweetie."

"He loves to sleep. He actually reminds me of Iroh, but I liked the name Lu Ten better, so there it is."

Mai snorted. "So you have three kids?"

"Four."

Mai's eyes got huge. "How do you keep getting pregnant?"

"I blame Haru."

* * *

Azula's next visit was to Boiling Rock. She of course, couldn't go as herself, so she disguised herself as Ursa. She was amazed the guards fell for it so easily, but they were new.

"Why would Ursa come to see me?" Ozai wondered.

His eyes got big when he saw it wasn't his ex-wife.

"Azula, back from the dead."

"I think you can help me take back what's mine."

"I always knew you were my favorite child."

They discussed her plan, and she left. She knew Ozai was trouble, but she was hoping, just this once, the trouble would be good.

* * *

Zuko was surprised to see his niece and nephew in the palace.

"Ty Lee wrote to me. She said the kids wanted to see Ursa II, and I said they should come visit. I didn't mean this second, but you know her."

"Well, I'm glad to have them, and I'm sure we'll all have fun."

Two days later, Zuko visited his father. "How many accidental fires have happened in the palace?"

"Do you want to set one?"

"How suspicious do you think it would be?"

"Well, if a child were practicing in her room when she's not supposed to and accidentally caught her bed on fire, not that suspicious. It happens more often than you think. Maybe they should stop giving kids bed sheets."

"You think I would kill a child to protect my bloodline."

"You killed a pregnant mother. What's the difference?"

"I'm not you."

"I know. I wouldn't kill an unborn baby. Even the average assassin has more honor than you."

"My legacy will be about the peace I brought to the world. Yours will be about your defeat at trying to ruin it."

"Keep telling yourself that." Ozai smiled. What a moron!

After playing cops and robbers with Ursa II and Hiro, Rei was ready for bed.

"Will you read me a story Aunt Mai?"

"Of course."

She took her niece to bed and read to her, Goodnight Moon.

Mai kissed her head. "Good night."

Rei pulled the sheet over her head and rolled to her side. The beds here were too big, but they were comfortable. She felt like she was in a sea of silks.

It was about a half hour later when smoke filled the room.

Zuko waited about 15 minutes before he sounded the alarm. The guards came rushing to see what was a nightgown on fire, they scrambled to subdue the flames, but all they saw was ash.

"My Lord! It was the Princess!"

They ran to him in a panic, alerting him of Rei's unfortunate demise.

"What? It can't be."

"It was her nightgown. It caught fire. She must have had a fire sneeze in her sleep or something."

Zuko rushed to his room to alert his wife, but was surprised to see a different woman in her place.

"Hello Brother."

Zuko stammered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Do you mean alive or on your bed where you expected Mai?"

"I mean I can't believe you survived the crash," he feigned happiness. "Why didn't you just tell us you were alive?"

"I would have if you hadn't been the one trying to kill me in the first place."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it my Lord?" Venom oozed from her voice. "How about I tell a little story? There was a boy who became Fire Lord married his Fire Lady. He was popular, and all was good.

But, then his popularity started to dwindle, and people started talking about replacing him. He decided to make an heir to solidify his bloodline only to find out she was a nonbender and attempts to have another heir failed. He could only have his daughter take the throne if the other firebending heirs were dead. It was the only way the sages would change the law.

To make it worse, talks of his sister's return scared him and he wanted to make sure she was out of the way, so he made up a conspiracy to attract the Avatar, hired a hit man to follow the Avatar and kill his sister before she could produce any heirs. He killed her or he thought he had, just to find out that she already had an heir. He couldn't kill the heir too quickly, so he waited for an opportune time, like this visit and then set her room on fire hoping to kill her. Unfortunately, his sister knew what he would try to do and made sure her daughter didn't sleep alone.

You didn't see Ty Lee hiding in the corner, watching you set the fire and taking Rei out through the secret passageway, leaving the child's nightgown to catch fire to throw you off track. The game is up Zuko. You failed at both turns and now you can look forward to going to jail for arson and two counts of attempted murder."

"This is all conjecture. No one will take Ty Lee's word over mine, seeing in the dark. How would she know who it was?"

"Perhaps you're right, but there is more. Mai isn't the sterile one. If she was, you could have just had a child with another woman to protect your bloodline, but you tried and you failed. When Suki got pregnant, you and she were both sure the child was yours.

You wanted her to keep the baby, lie and say it was some guard's so that you would have a spare heir. By the time Mai learned the truth, it would be long passed and she'd either forget about it or you would divorce her, but the baby was Sokka's who Suki was barely sleeping with. That only makes sense if your seed is useless. You can't produce a firebending heir. You are the only one who needed Rei and me dead.

To make matters even worse, you got all of your ideas from Ozai. He was glad to give them to you, but he was also glad to confess them to me. What do you think Mai will do when she learns that you kept meeting him behind her back, conspiring to kill your own family becoming the man she risked everything to make sure wouldn't rule the nation."

"She won't find out," Zuko hissed. He moved to strike lightening at her but before he could, he felt a knife go into his shoulder. It hurt like hell and he could barely feel his fingers anymore.

"You bastard," Mai said. Silent as the night, she had been there the whole time. She couldn't believe it when Azula told her it was Zuko all along, but now she heard everything.

"Mai, you can't believe this nonsense."

"I believed all of the bullshit you fed me through out our marriage." This is much more logical. "I gave you everything and you abused it in every possible way. You lied to me. You cheated on me and when I mourned your sister's death, you ignored me knowing you were the cause of my suffering. You tried to kill a child tonight and for what, to make sure Azula's kid didn't get the Crown that you wanted for our daughter? Ursa's a great girl. So what if she will never bend or won't be Fire Lord. There is so much more to life than your stupid crown. I can't believe you couldn't see it."

The guards came and took Zuko to the hospice and then to jail.

Mai couldn't believe it. When did the man she loved become the man she hated?

"How did this happen?"

"The power got to his head," Azula said. "It had gotten to mine too once and it took me a long time to see the light. I never apologized for what I did to you, and I know I can't just make that pain go away, but I can try to be your friend now. We're family. You're my kids' aunt and I'm Ursa's aunt. I think it's time our kids get to know each other, and maybe we can start again."

"I would like that."


	6. Fire Lord Azula

Needless to say, drama bombs went off in every direction. When Ursa learned her son had been arrested, she was insistent that he was innocent, until Mai said, "I saw him. He tried to kill Azula right in front of me."

"How could he? Why would he?"

"He let Ozai corrupt him from jail. Dear old dad spoon fed him ideas on how to be a tyrant, and Zuko lost control."

Ursa was beside herself. She had already lost Ozai to the darkness and now she lost Zuko too. How did she fail to protect her son again? "I didn't even know he was visiting his father."

Katara let Azula have it when she learned the woman was still alive. "How could you do that? Your kids were distraught. I blamed myself. Aang and I fought about it for months."

All Azula could say is, "Want to hold Prince Lu Ten."

Even Katara couldn't say mad with a baby in sight. He had his mother's eyes and hair. Right away, she could tell he was a firebender. "He's gorgeous."

He was a happy baby, a bit pudgy, and he'd just look up at people and smile.

Azula and Haru had to tell their story many times as it was just so bizarre, from how they met to why they hid and what happened afterwards.

* * *

Eventually, all of team Avatar passed through the palace, wanting to learn about what had already happened and what was going to happen to Zuko and to the Crown. While they were finding out about their former friend, the sages were getting ready to coronate the Crown Princess once again.

This time, the venue was packed. Most all of the nobles and important people from all over the world had come to this unexpected event.

Azula's servants were attending to her when her mother appeared.

"I just wanted to wish you luck before you go on stage."

"Isn't that bad luck?"

"I think that's just a theatre superstition."

"Well this palace is a theatrical place." If only the walls could talk.

While the two mothers talked, Haru was with his two youngest children, holding them while he talked to Mai for the first time in years.

"I blamed myself," Mai said. "When we couldn't have another child. I thought I was broken some how and I was afraid that Zuko was going to leave me." It was weird, finding out that she had been healthy, and Zuko had been become infertile.

"I think people always blame the wife as it's 'her job' to bare children. It's not fair, but we've been preconditioned that way since childhood."

"To think, Azula ended up having four (She swore she'd never have any). Are you two done?"

"I don't know. She'll be too busy now trying to get everything in order, but I wouldn't be opposed to more kids. Originally, we had planned on just two, but then we decided to try again. Lu Ten was a happy surprise."

He had happened on a rainy night when both of them were really down about not having seen their kids in so long. What started off as a night of holding each other and weeping turned into long kisses, needy touches and well, a baby.

Rei and Hiro were with their Aunt Kiyi. She was tasked with making sure Hiro doesn't ruin his clothes before the coronation. She didn't realize how much he loved dirt. "How did I get the grunt work?" she wondered as she chased her nephew around.

Ty Lee was with Sokka. Now that her guardianship days were over, she was free to come with Sokka back to the tribe. She had fallen in love with him and Hakoda II and hoped to be the mother that Suki couldn't be.

* * *

Aang and Katara were with Bumi II, Toph, Satoru, and Lin.

"I still can't believe Sparky is in jail," Toph said as she held her baby.

"He's lucky he's in jail because if he were here then I'd …" Katara paused. She probably shouldn't make threats in front of the baby.

"I was so sure that he put his past behind him, but it just came back."

"No, he just got worse," Toph said. "Even the old Zuko wasn't a child killer."

"Azula said that Ozai had been spoon feeding him ideas from jail. Why would he listen to his deposed father?"

Zuko claimed that it was to protect his legacy, but he never really felt comfortable as Fire Lord. He felt the world staring at him sitting on his sister's Crown and he had to make sure it was his and his forever. It was his jealousy and megalomania that was his downfall.

"I think he was insecure," Satoru said. "Everything started off nice and happy after the war, but then the job got hard. People needed food. Resources were scarce and as people started to doubt him, he became more obsessed with holding onto the crown, so much so that he was ready to kill anyone who might potentially be in his way. He didn't think he could keep control by being a good leader, so he decided to try to take out his competition."

"Poor Ursa," Aang said.

"Which one?" asked Toph.

"I meant his daughter, but his mother must be distraught too."

The Coronation was set to begin.

The Head Sage came out. Everyone stood up as the council proceeded into the arena and they stood as the royal family was announced. They went in reverse seniority order "Introducing Lady Ursa, Lady Kiyi and Sir Ikem, Princess Ta Min, Prince Hiro, Princess Ursa, Princess Mai, Prince Iroh, Crown Prince Lu Ten, Princess Rei (will be Crown Princess at the end of the ceremony), Prince Haru (will be Fire Man at the end of the Ceremony) and Crown Princess Azula (will be Fire Lord at the end of the ceremony)

Once the royal family sat down, everyone else could be seated. First, one of the younger sages gave his spiel about the history of the Fire Lord. Then the chairman of the council went on about the longstanding relationship between the Council and the Fire Lord. Then, the Head Sage gave his speech and then it was the crowning and then it was Azula's time to talk.

Hiro was exhausted after the second speech. "My clothes itch." He was not used to dressing the part of a prince.

"Maybe Mom will let you swim in the fountain afterwards," Rei said, baiting him.

"You will do no such thing," Ursa told her grandchildren.

The Head Sage stood up and took the podium.

"I have presided over coronations and I have presided over royal funerals, but I have never presided over a royal funeral and then coronated the same royal two years later."

The crowd laughed.

"Normally, this is the time where I say the same spiel I always say, but I just said it. Most of you remember it when I said it at Zuko's Coronation and at Ozai's Coronation and I doubt anyone wants to hear it a third time, so I decided to prepare something else today.

The Fire Lord is our nation's swinging pendulum. We revel in his victories and are relegated in his defeats. Most would expect that the best Fire Lord is the one that doesn't lose, but that isn't the case. The best Fire Lord is the one that stands up for his people at all costs and sometimes wins and sometimes loses but never gives up. It isn't the ability to avoid getting knocked down, but it is the ability to get right back up.

Azula was celebrated for years for never faltering. She had an amazing ability of luck and skill that allowed her to never fall down. Almost nine years ago, it seemed like her luck ran out, but what replaced her good fortune was resilience. Like a phoenix, she emerged out of the ashes, stronger and brighter than before and ready to take on whatever came her way from parenting to fighting assassins and it wasn't her luck that led to her successes, but it was her patience and understanding.

If there was ever such a thing as destiny, then it has come here and now for the Princess who is truly a marvel."

Azula's emotions were running on overdrive. Who she was now and who she used to be were so different; it felt like a lifetime had passed in the past eight years. She set aside her political ambitions to fall in love and have a family only to find herself back on the throne that she had coveted for most of her own life.

She knelt down before the head sage and after receiving the sacred rite, was crowned Fire Lord Azula. She stood, wearing a crown that had to be made for her since her head was smaller than her brother's. It was gold and adorned with rubies, and with black silk for a cap, showing off all of the Fire Nation's colors.

Now it was time to address her people for the first time.

She walked to the podium, having to stand on the booster box so she could be seen over it and looked into what felt like a million faces.

"Most little girls, play with their dolls and look forward to tea parties and sleepovers. I looked forward to the day I could start my firebending training. I would watch my brother and my cousin practice from my bedroom window, waiting for my chance to shine. I always thought my value was directly tied to my success, and as long as I was the best, then I deserved whatever I wanted.

As a Princess, I represented the royal family, the Fire Lord and the nation. His Fire Lord's goal was my goal and I was ready to do whatever was necessary to make sure that he won. When he won, I won and if I kept winning, I would someday be Fire Lord, as everyone wants a Fire Lord who is a winner.

In my world, the ends justified the means and anyone who stood in my way was someone to be scorned, whether it was my mother, my brother, my uncle or even the Avatar, tasked with the thankless job of trying to keep world order. No good was as great as mine and no challenger was to be feared. What people called luck, I call sheer recklessness, but somehow I got away with it time and time again, until I didn't. Eventually, my cruel ways caught up to me.

It took me a long time to learn that the ends don't justify the means. If you want something badly enough to kill for it, then you are likely overestimating it is value in the first place. If something is rightfully yours, but you cannot achieve it fairly, then it is not your right to have it.

Eight years ago, I ran through the forgetful valley, trying to remove any memory of my victories and my failures, so that I could start anew. I had forgotten everything from my own name to the fact that I was a firebender at all. The skill that defined me was not even a memory anymore.

I was found by my now father in law and he introduced me to his son who I fell in love with and married, and with him I have four amazing children. Along the way, I started to remember who I was. First it was vague memories of swimming with my brother on Ember Island. Then it was parties and festivals in the Fire Nation. When I got pregnant, Rei started firekicking. I thought it was unusual that she was a firebender when I was not and then I tried.

A blue flame emerged from my hands and I was so stunned that I fell down because I didn't understand why my flame was blue. I didn't even realize it was possible. When I went to the library to read about it, there was only one person who was known to have a blue flame, Princess Azula. I thought, well maybe I could find her and she could tell me why my flame is blue.

When I looked her up, I read about her deeds and I felt a mix of awe from her talents and horror from how she used them. Conquering Ba Sing Se with two other teenage girls, awesome, but killing the Avatar along the way was dreadful. Then, I read that she had disappeared around the time I had been found. I had been reading about a beautiful monster, only to learn that I was the monster was all along.

I tried to hide from my past, deciding that I should just stay Mina instead. No one would have to know the difference. Eventually, I realized that I would have to tell my husband and when I did, to my surprise, he said it didn't matter who I was before. All that mattered was who I am now and all Mina wanted, all that I wanted was to have a simple life with my husband and my kids.

Despite my best efforts, people found me anyway and I found myself being chased from city to city, evading assassins, faking my own death, investigating my own "murder" and finding my way back onto the throne that I had chosen to forget about years ago.

I want to look at all of you and tell you that I deserve to be here, that the throne is rightfully mine, but I don't know if I can. I didn't do anything to get the throne. My brother foolishly threw it away, and it settled at my feet.

He struggled to balance our nation's responsibility to the world with his responsibility to our nation, and his popularity dwindled. When he felt his throne was in jeopardy, he chose to try and kill anyone who might jeopardize it instead of trying to bring the family together and finding a better way.

He was so obsessed with making sure that his bloodline kept the throne that his legacy dwarfed our father's that he tried to kill me and my daughter to make sure that the sages changed the rules of succession. What he wanted wasn't worth killing for, but he didn't see it that way. I'm not sure how his blunder makes me worthy, but here I am, wearing a crown that I believed I deserved most of my life just to wonder if I should even be holding it.

My brother was worthy of the crown once, but then he threw it away. I wasn't worthy of it before, but I have it now. Somewhere, there is a moral in this story, but I don't know what it is. I do know, however, that I will give my people all that I have. I want them to stand with me when I succeed and I will own my mistakes when I fail. I know I'm a much better person than I used to be, and I hope it's enough.

Thank You."

* * *

Azula has given a lot of speeches in her life. She was always optimistic and charismatic in them, winning the crowd with her well-chosen words and effective delivery, but today, for the first time, she was brutally honest. She didn't have any magic words to win them over. All she had was herself, the good and the bad. It was her candor that touched the crowd and it was her vulnerability that made her strong.

She received a standing ovation and then there was the outgoing procession, starting with the Fire Lord and going in the reverse order that they had been announced.

While the country celebrated Azula's return to glory, her brother contemplated his own defeat. Bested by his sister once again, and again it was Mai who had changed sides. Now, his wife and daughter would live in the palace while he rotted in jail. This would be his legacy now. He had managed to become his father.

Ozai found the whole thing comical. Zuko would likely lose his bending and spend the rest of his days here, just like him. Of course it was the son he hated that ended up being just like him and the daughter that he praised who ended up being just like her mother. Ozai taught Azula how to firebend, how to be fierce, how to be cunning, but she would be sharing her glory with his fat brother and his ex-wife, leaving her father as a relic from the past.

"Hey Zuko, at least my wife never turned on me. Clearly, you never beat her enough!"

Zuko pounded at the bars. "I can still burn you from here!"

"Want to lose your bending even faster?" he mocked.

* * *

Back at the palace, the Fire Lord was changing out of her stuffy coronation robes into a more comfortable red dress. It showed off her soft curves. Her breasts were still quite big from pregnancy and her breastfeeding. Her round hips had given birth four times and if Haru had his way one or two more. She told him she needed at least a year hiatus from being pregnant to keep her sanity and get the country in order.

His reaction was maybe you could have twins two years from now to keep us on schedule. She ruffled his hair. It had been down past his shoulders, but he had cut it short when they went into hiding. It was starting to grow out again, but Haru liked the shorter hair in the hot Fire Nation.

Haru came to see his wife before the banquet started. "You look gorgeous," he said as he put his arms around her.

"I was serious when I said you better not get me pregnant this year."

"I know," he kissed her neck. "But we can have plenty of fun without making a baby."

"Not until after the banquet."

"Are you sure?"

"I just got this dress on."

"Leave it on." His hands went up her sides. A devilish grin was on his face.

* * *

Rei was the Crown Princess now. After talking to her mother, she decided to let Ursa II keep the room associated with it and instead moved into the empty Crown Prince room. Since he was only two months old, Lu Ten would be in the nursery anyway (along with Ta Min) and would not want the room for some time. They could settle the matter then, but Ursa had already lost her father, she didn't need to feel like she had been demoted in the same swoop.

Hino decided to stay in the guest room that attached to Rei's room instead of having his own suite. He found having his own quarters a bit too daunting. It felt like the bedroom he had been originally assigned was larger than the upstairs of the house he had always called home.

At the banquet were the Fire Nation nobles, the world leaders from every nation, team Avatar and the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki had been lured out by her warriors her convinced her that skipping would be a slight that would not help her peacekeeping goals for the future.

She was hesitant to come to the palace where her former lover had once reigned and to encounter her ex-husband. She worried that everyone would know about her affair with Zuko since his failure to produce heirs motivated his crimes. Surely, Mai knew by now. She stabbed him. She must have known something.

When she did get there, she saw Sokka, Hakoda II and Ty Lee sitting with the royal family. Azula insisted they were family after all of the things they had gone through together. "You don't go to hell and back for anyone else," she said. Suki's heart became bitter when she saw Ty Lee helping Hakoda get in his chair, tending to him like a mother would and clearly Sokka had chosen Ty Lee as her replacement.

The other warriors were surprised to see Ty Lee with Sokka, but it made sense that she was the one to fill the void. She had already had a crash course in parenting and she had always found the warrior attractive. Everyone knew that.

At the head of the royal table was Azula, her husband at one side and Hiro at the other. They had put the smaller children next to adults to help them as needed. Rei was next to her brother, and then there was Ursa, Ikem and Kiyi. Next to Haru was his father. Sokka, Hakoda II, Ty Lee, Mai, Ursa II and Iroh finished the other end of the table.

"I don't remember the royal family ever being this large," Iroh told them.

"Well, Azula and Haru have been quite busy," Sokka quipped.

Ty Lee elbowed him.

"Are you and Ty Lee gonna get married?" Hiro questioned, silencing the jokester.

This time, Azula was laughing.

"At the wedding, please don't wear a pink wedding dress," Rei requested, anything but pink.

"What if you wore pink as the flower girl instead?" Ty Lee teased.

"Ursa, you're gonna be the flower girl."

"Can I be the ringbearer?" Hiro asked.

The food was plentiful and multicultural with a slant towards the fire nation cuisine: roasted turtle duck, fried turtle crab cakes, grilled unagi, komodo chicken sausages, chilled tomato soup or sea prune stew, roasted pine carrots, rice, tofu, sushi, and spicy bean cakes.

The meal was served family style except for the soups, which were served as starters.

Aang found that they had done a much better job with vegetarian options than the last coronation. "I think I had rice and that was it." There had even been bacon bits in the vegetables.

He was at a table with his wife, Bumi II, Toph, Satoru and Lin.

"Sokka ditched us for the cool kids," Toph teased.

"I still can't believe how much has changed over the past two years," Katara said.

Everything from the politics to their own friends and families was different. Katara never would have thought Suki would have left her brother and he would end up with Ty Lee or that Azula would have married Haru and ended up with four kids or be Fire Lord, while Zuko was in jail, leaving Mai and Ursa II in the palace.

"I know right," Toph went for a turtle crab cake. "To think Princess Crazy got her act together while her brother lost his marbles. Maybe only one of them can be sane at a time."

"Their mother must be so confused," Katara said.

Ursa was confused at first by Zuko's treachery, then by his decision to follow Ozai. It was even weirder when she compared their relationship to her own with her daughter. They had never gotten along before and Azula had seemed like her opposite, but she was just like her: pushed to extremes by the Fire Lord and abandoning their past lives, doing the unthinkable to save their children, being forced to leave them behind and hope for the best, and returning to the palace they thought they would never see again.

Somehow, Azula made her return to her family seamless when Ursa's had been anything but. Sure being gone for eight months is not the same as seven years, but Azula knew how to make it right with her kids. How, Ursa had no idea.

She thought she had been doing well with Zuko, but clearly she had not been and she had lost contact with Azula all together. What did it say about her that the sibling she had favored chose evil and the one she had distanced herself from found the light?

There was something peculiar about the bonds between parents and their children. Every person at the table had a different experience, which had been defining for their personas. Mai wondered how this recent turn of events would impact Ursa II.

Right now, she understood her father had been bad and had been sent away like her grandfather had been, but she won't understand the gravity of his crime for years to come. Her daily routine isn't that much different. Mai had definitely done more of the parenting than her husband, but she surely noticed his absence and realized that it would never be the same again.

As Mai scanned the children at the table, she contemplated their relationships with their parents.

Hiro was just like his dad, loves to get outside and play, according to Azula, both track dirt into the house like no other and apparently think earthbending indoors is okay if she doesn't see them even if she finds the evidence later.

Rei is clearly her mother's daughter with her sharp intellect and her outspoken nature. She can be brutally honest, but she showed influences from Ty Lee as well, helping her brother cut his meat as the acrobat helped Hakoda II and having a doll collection that Azula would have burned at that age. How would the chi blocker's stay affect Rei as she matured? Was it permanent or will the influence weaken over time?

Absent from the table were Ta Min and Lu Ten II, their personalities not yet defined. Both of who would be royalty as long as they could remember. How would this affect them compared to Rei and Hiro? Surely it would be different, making the transition from small town kids to royalty versus only knowing life in the palace. Also, they missed all the drama, or at least they won't remember any of it, missing some of the scars that their older siblings had to bear.

Kiyi was clearly Noriko's daughter, showing humility from being raised as a small town girl and not a Fire Nation noble. She had quickly become acclimated to the palace, but she had a way of treating everyone the same. Title just didn't affect her outlook the way they did with the other Fire Nation elite. Her upbringing had been so different from Azula's and Zuko's it was hard to picture her as their sibling. Not only did they have different fathers but for six years, they had different mothers as well.

Hakoda II was just like his father from his laugh to his appetite and Mai wondered if he would remember Suki this time next year. He hadn't seen her in two years and he had known Ty Lee much of that time. If she stayed with his father, then she would be the only mother figure he would remember. What happens when he learns about the mother who left him behind? Mai hoped that Ty Lee could fill the void Suki left in her wake.

The adults had their relationships with their own parents varying from following in their parent's footsteps, to a parent being murdered, to being used as a war machine to just being ignored. None of the adults at the table could say the same thing about their parents and yet they were all here at one table as one family.

Five days ago, Mai lost her husband and she thought her world had come crashing down, but she realized that she had gained so much more. "Could you pass the pine carrots?"

After the meal came a toast for the new Fire Lord and dessert. The new monarch couldn't drink, as she was breastfeeding, so Haru took two glasses. "I'm just taking one for the team," he said.

"How horrible for you."

Glasses clicked and people drank before moving their way to the dance floor or to the bar.

* * *

Mai watched, as the couples went to dance, even the children were dancing. She swore that Hakoda II and Sokka had the same dance.

The first Hakoda watched his son and his grandson and was glad to find that Sokka was happy again and had a woman who would be there for both of them. He had noticed that Suki grew distant from Sokka once the Kyoshi Warriors moved to the palace and was surprised when they got married instead of breaking up. When they divorced, he was sad for his son but not surprised. Sokka deserved a woman who was 100% in, and Suki was not.

The bitter woman drank watching what she thought was her ex-husband flaunting his new life in front of her. When Ty Lee spun Hakoda around, Suki clenched her hand so tight her knuckle turned white. The other warriors noticed her drunken staring and hoped their leader didn't start a scene. Maybe they should have left her at home.

Little Ursa left her mom to go dance with Hiro and Rei. She was used to just sitting in place like a good little princess, but Hiro and Rei would do no such thing. Mai was glad that the kids had become close so quickly. She wasn't sure if she would ever give Ursa II a sibling, so it was nice that she would grow up with two children near her age and three other children in the house, although Kiyi wouldn't be a child for much longer. Who knows, Azula might have more babies.

The Fire Lord was dancing with her Fire Man. He towered over her, both in height and in width as he was broad shouldered and well muscled. She pulled him close to her body, the two moving seductively across the floor. Despite the fatigue that comes with four kids, their passion for each other burned consistently, probably the reason they had so many kids in the first place.

Katara danced with Aang, Toph with Satoru and Bumi and Lin tried to dance but they were mostly falling off their feet, especially Lin.

Mai was so amused by the baby she didn't even notice a former acquaintance approach her.

"May I have this dance?"

It was Ruon Jian. He no longer had the long hair that he used to flip and his voice was deeper, but he had the same pretty face.

"You have no better prospects," she teased.

"Well, I was married, but then my wife left me for Chan, so I can't say I do."

Mai made a face. "And I thought I had it bad."

"There's always someone who has it worse."

"Well in that case, I think I will dance with you."

They started talking about what happened to them after the war, mostly RJ since everyone knew Mai's path.

"I joined the peace corps after the war," helping to clean up polluted rivers caused by the factories.

"Good for you."

"I wish I could say it was for philanthropic reasons. My parents got sick of me being drunk with Chan all the time and said do something useful or we're cutting you off. I was bitter at the time, but I needed a wakeup call. I thought I was cool because I flipped my hair, gross!"

Mai snickered. "I like it much better short. I can actually see your face."

"Do you like looking at my face?" he winked at her.

"So you're still cocky as ever."

"I'd like to think I grew up a little."

"Just a little."

"Yeah."

Eventually, Mai had to get little Ursa to bed.

RJ said he would write to her.

"I would like that." It would be nice to have someone outside the palace walls to talk to, and maybe it would amount to something. She didn't mind taking her time to find out.

* * *

Azula and Haru put Rei and Hiro in bed as well. They read to their children Karo Finds a Dragon and did all of the voices. Hiro fell asleep half way through, but Rei made it until the end. Haru offered to move her brother to his own bed, but Rei said he could stay for the night. "I sleep on the left side anyway."

He had spent many nights in her room after their parents "died" and she got used to the snoring little bugger.

Sokka and Ty Lee put Hakoda II in bed too. They were staying in a suite in the palace before going to the tribe. Ty Lee had never been there before, but she was excited to see Sokka's world.

Sokka wondered if he should have approached Suki. He saw her there, but she never made eye contact with him. He didn't want to put her on the spot, but he worried if she felt too intimidated with Ty Lee there to approach. Maybe he should have sent her a letter before the coronation.

The couple went back to the party to mingle with their friends. He had not seen as much of his sister or the others since he started investigating with Ty Lee.

"So you do remember us," Toph teased them as they approached.

"I know I've been MIA lately, but I was doing important work."

"You work? Where?"

He explained how he and Ty Lee had been chasing leads, trying to figure out who had been after Azula. They had made a few trips into the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, looking into people who might have been threatened by her reign or her progeny, but when nothing turned up, they focused their attention on Zuko. "Once we found out he was sterile, it was the only thing that made sense."

"He was sterile?"

"He couldn't produce a firebender. He knew the only way to get his daughter on the throne was to prevent Azula from producing one, but she already had."

"Even if both her kids had been earthbenders," Satoru started, "they could have just married firebenders, and he would have had the same problem."

"Sparky was worried about an immediate takeover or else Ursa II could have married a firebender to produce an heir."

"Are Zuko and Ozai really in cells that face each other?" Aang questioned.

"Yeah," Ty Lee admitted. "Azula didn't do it on purpose, but Zuko had passed some law that puts people in blocks based on the offense and trying to kill Princesses puts you in the same section as trying to burn down the Earth Kingdom, so they ended up face to face."

"They're going to kill each other," Sokka said.

"I'm sure Ozai was taunting him all day. He's very childish, I mean if you can imagine a homicidal child."

Katara came back after getting Bumi to go to sleep and the group went to the lounge, catching up and sharing their summer plans. Sokka and Ty Lee were going to the tribe for a few months and then going to a fall vacation in Ba Sing Se before spending some of the winter in the palace.

Katara was jealous that Sokka took Hakoda travelling to so many places. Aang's work was often dangerous, so Katara would stay behind with Bumi. They did, however, have a trip to the tribe planned as well as one to Gaoling to visit Toph and her family.

Toph was excited to be back at work. Satoru had been a stay at home dad while she got her metalbending academy going again and once she was a bit older, he'd be right back to engineering.

Iroh came into the room. "Mind if I join you?"

"Gramps. I haven't seen you in forever," Toph told him. "What's going on?"

"Well, nothing too interesting well other than all of the murder attempts and conspiracies with my family but that's nothing new."

"Iroh being sarcastic?" Toph questioned. "Hmm."

"The conspiracy part isn't new at all, but it is new that Zuko was trying to kill Azula this time and Ozai was helping him just to help Azula stop him. It's like the opposite of the war," Ty Lee pointed out.

"Maybe it's like tag, everyone has to be it at some point," Iroh lamented. Azula let go of the crown years ago and that's precisely why she deserved it. It wasn't what power she was entitled to but what she did with the power that she had. She didn't have much after she ran away, but she made the most of it.

Zuko, however, let the crown get to his head. He used his power to keep his power not to better the nation and when he decided he would do whatever it took to keep the crown in his direct bloodline, he lost what had made him worthy in the first place.

He hoped that the future generation did not have this battle for the throne, that Rei and Lu Ten II could just be siblings. Without the stress of war and with united parents, the odds were in their favor. As happy as Iroh was for the good that had come out, he felt distressed that he had lost a second son to greed. He made flippant jokes to try and cover up how miserable he felt.


	7. Confronting the Truth

Ursa had to confront Zuko. She had to know why. She was on her way to Boiling Rock just to see Iroh had the same idea.

When they both went to Azula's door, she knew why they were there.

"Come in," she said. She had been arranging to meet with both the council and the groups Zuko had made unhappy. She wanted to get off to a good start.

Iroh got straight to the point. "Is Zuko allowed visitors?"

"I haven't prohibited it, so I assume you can visit him if he will see you."

Iroh went to get the palanquin ready.

Azula had something to say to her mother. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have to find out why."

"I don't think any answer he gives you will give you closure."

"How do you know?"

"Zuko's mistakes are his own. They aren't about what Ozai did or what you failed to do. Sure every child is impacted by his parents, but children grow to become adults and eventually they have to own what they do. You have to stop blaming Ozai for Zuko's decisions the same way I had to stop blaming you for my mental breakdown. I committed too many offenses between my unfortunate childhood and my breakdown to blame it all on you. Somewhere down the line, I had to own my mistakes. It was the only way I could heal.

If you go to Zuko now, I can guarantee you that he will have excuses. He isn't ready to own up to anything. It's all too fresh and you will leave still distraught about where you went wrong. He isn't your responsibility anymore. He's a grown man who was married, a father, and he was Fire Lord for Agni's sake. If he still needed you to tell him right from wrong, then that shows his own failings, not yours."

"Am I allowed to go anyway?"

"I won't stop you."

Iroh got the palanquin ready. Ursa was very quiet. "Is something wrong, other than the obvious?"

"Azula didn't think I should go."

"Did she say why?"

"She said Zuko was only going to make excuses for himself, and if anything I'd just get even more distressed about the situation."

That was a strong possibility. "I don't think anything he has to say will make me feel better, necessarily, but I need to hear something. I can't just walk away."

Maybe that would be enough for Ursa too.

"Azula's a very direct person. If she doesn't think someone will give a satisfactory answer, she just won't ask the question. Sometimes you need to hear what people have to say for other reasons."

They got to Zuko's holding cell. They of course saw Ozai on the way.

"Come to visit me?" he sneered. "Oh of course, you came for your darling Zuzu. You always did pick him over me, and I never tried to kill a pregnant woman."

Ursa regretted coming already. The guard told Ozai to shut up or he was getting nothing but rice all day.

He was quiet, but his eyes had a sneer to them.

Zuko sat in the corner of his cell. He looked up to see his saddened mother and his uncle, looking stoic. The guard opened the cell and they stepped in side. He still held his arm gingerly. The doctor said the damage wasn't permanent, but Mai got him good.

Ursa couldn't move. Should she hug him or slap him? She was so mad at what he had done, but she couldn't stop loving her son. He came to bring her home. He saved her when Azula tried to kill her in a psychotic rage, but he was seemingly sane when he tried to kill her and Rei. How could he try to kill a six-year-old girl?

"Mom," he said weakly.

"I need to know why you did this."

"I was on top of the world. The war had ended. I was Fire Lord and the people loved me. Mai and I got married. We had Ursa II. We had made agreements with the other nations. We were all friends, but the economy got bad. There were droughts. Farmers couldn't pay their taxes. There was a food shortage. Problems came in left and right and people said I was too buddy buddy with the rest of the world, that my poor agreements put the nation in debt.

I went from the man to the jerk overnight. My intelligence group informed me that there were two groups looking to oust me that at least one of them wanted to replace me with Azula. They figured even if she was still crazy, they could get her to marry someone sane and make him the real Fire Lord. She would just be the figurehead. I worked so hard to bring peace. I couldn't let it just go to waste. Who could have known what she would have done? The last time I saw her, she had tried to kill you.

I asked the Avatar to find her that was it, but then she took off. I didn't know if she had something to hide or what it was, but I felt threatened. I sent someone to take care of her before she could usurp the crown and create chaos. He came back and said she was pregnant.

The next thing I know, the ship she was on blew up. I was in shock. Just like that, she was gone, her husband was gone, and these two kids appeared out of nowhere. I thought they should live in the palace. They were family, but then Azula left them with Ty Lee.

I thought it was all over, but the problems only got worse. The groups that opposed me united after Azula died. Some of them had been afraid of her, but with Rei, they could get a regent that they trusted to rule until she was an adult. I know she was just a little girl, but she was their way of taking over. I had to stop them."

"So instead of arresting them for treason, if they had committed treason, you tried to kill the six year old?"

"Rebellions will always rise if they have someone to rally behind. With Azula's bloodline out of the way, the groups would have quit. I thought taking two lives was worth the stability of the nation."

Iroh didn't say a word. He already knew the story was riddled with half-truths. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Zuko to say at this point. "I don't think you understand how wrong you are. I hope that someday you get it."

He walked away, his head hung in shame.

"I guess he's just like me after all," Ozai laughed as his brother left.

* * *

Ursa wondered how Zuko had gotten this way. Was it really visiting Ozai? She turned to her ex-husband. "What did you do to our son?" she demanded to know.

"What? You think I'm the reason he's here. He's here because he can't think ahead. Do you want to know what really happened? He came to me worried about this group of people, who kept saying he sucked, but they were all talk, they hadn't done anything and he had no proof that they were trying to do anything.

He was worried that Azula would be able to take the throne while his popularity was low and he asked me what to do. I told him he could bring her home and see if she can help him get his numbers up. If people were calling for her, then her appearance might be enough to appease them, but he'd have to give her a bone, something meaningful to do.

He of course refused to share anything with her. _She never shared with me. She tried to kill me. I won't let her have anything._ Well, as long as she was alive, she was a threat to his goal to have sole control. People would always prefer her if they didn't like what he did. If he wanted her out of the way, he'd have to kill her. I told her he had two choices leave her alone and hope she stays away, or get rid of her before she can make heirs.

Once she makes heirs, he's done for. There are too many ways in which he can lose the throne. I didn't tell him what to pick, I just told him everything comes at a price. He decided to kill her, only to learn she already had two kids, one of whom could take the throne.

As it turned out, that was a dumb move because the groups only rallied after Azula's death, merging into a super group or something. He waited to kill Rei until he thought enough time had past that he wouldn't be a suspect, only to botch that too. He came to me, asking me if I thought an accidental palace fire would be unusual. He made the decision to set her ablaze before he even talked to me. I didn't do this to him. Your son did it to himself.

If anything, I helped save the day. Azula came to visit me you know. She said she was you to get past the guards, and I told her all about our darling son. She was ready for his attempt to kill Rei because I helped her set a trap, and he walked right into it. My favorite child is on the throne, and yours is rotting away, like me. People may say I ruined her, but everything she is, is because of me."

"You see that's where you are wrong." Ursa looked him right in the eye. "You may have been her teacher, but she rid herself of you like a snake sheds its skin. You taught her what not to be. She's never been stronger than when she left you behind."

Ozai laughed. "If that's true, why is it she came to me when she was in trouble? She didn't come to you."

Ursa rushed out of there. She hated when he toyed with her mind like this.

Iroh had waited for Ursa outside. He couldn't stand being in there another minute. Ozai didn't talk to him. He just had this smug look on his face like I won, Zuko decided to follow me instead of you and look where his is. He always wanted his son to fail for Azula to take his place. He got his wish.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone in there. I couldn't take it."

"I don't blame you. Let's go."

They went back to the palace. When they got there, Haru was playing follow the leader with Rei, Hiro and little Ursa. Kiyi had homework to do. She had been putting it off given all of the mayhem at the palace, but it was time for her to catch up.

Ty Lee and Sokka took Hakoda II to the market. They were all sharing the deluxe sundae. Sokka would be tasked with eating the bulk of it, but his son was eager to help.

The acrobat wiped off the little boy's face when he was done.

"Thanks Mommy!"

It was the first time he had ever called her that. It made her happy, but at the same time, she was sad that Suki had just dropped off the map. She kissed his forehead. She would be his mommy as long as he needed her to be.

After walking around, the boy got sleepy so Ty Lee took him home. Sokka wanted to get some more things, so he stayed out. Ty Lee took the palanquin back and it would return for her boyfriend later.

It had been a year and a half since they got together. Sokka thought it was time to start looking for an engagement ring. He had made Suki a betrothal necklace, so he decided to get something else for Ty Lee.

When he got to the jeweler, he didn't see what he wanted in the case. True to Fire Nation form, everything was rubies and gold. He asked if they had sapphire or silver.

"Hmm, I did just get some sapphires in. I haven't had a chance to set them yet, but if you can wait I can have a ring made."

He came back out with them. They were perfect, not too big so they wouldn't look gaudy, they weren't little specks either.

"These are perfect."

"What type of ring would you like them in?" He showed Sokka the different shapes.

"I like the one in the middle."

"The princess cut, a good choice. Did you want silver, gold or white gold?"

"They make white gold?"

"They do, well they find it." He came out with a sample. It was so luxurious.

"How much is that?"

Sokka went wide-eyed at the price. "I think yellow will suffice." He didn't want to be too cheap, but the white gold was too much

"If you wanted silver, you could put a diamond in the middle and the sapphires on each side for the same price as the 14k yellow."

"That sounds perfect." Sokka paid a deposit and waited for the palanquin to come back.

To his surprise, he saw Suki. She had missed the morning boat back to Kyoshi Island and had to wait for the evening one.

She approached him. "Where's your little girlfriend?" she sneered. She had been drinking that morning, heavily.

"She's back at the palace."

"You two look like you had a great time last night."

"The three of us did. You didn't approach us. It's been two years you know."

"Like I forgot how long you've kept my son from me."

"I didn't keep him. I tried to bring him to the island to see you, and I wasn't allowed past the dock. What was I supposed to do?"

"Of course, play the victim. I'm sure you jumped into Ty Lee's bed the first chance you got."

"This has nothing to do with her. It's not my fault you had an affair with a homicidal lunatic and then abandoned our son."

"If you hadn't hired that lawyer…. Do you know how much that cost me?"

"You think I didn't pay too. You wanted to leave me. You had every right, but not with my son."

"So he's your son now."

"He was our son, but he stopped asking about you over a year ago."

"I bet he calls Ty Lee Mommy now," she hissed.

Sokka didn't answer.

She does. "Have a nice life." She was gone.

Sokka had seen Suki at low points, but this was the worst. It was like she was an empty shell of the woman she used to be. He pitied her. He hoped she someday found peace.

* * *

Mai decided that she wanted some tea. She went into the tea room where Iroh was just pouring a cup.

"Mai, care to join me?"

"Of course." She sat down and poured herself a cup.

"How has your day been?"

"Pretty relaxing."

Haru had taken Ursa II along with his brood. He was playing Mr. Dad while Azula worked during the day. The Fire Lord wasn't completely scot free. She had to breast feed the younger children and the older two would periodically escape their dad to go find their mother. It was still an adjustment for Haru to be tending to them while Azula worked, not that they didn't adore their father.

This meant Mai wasn't as busy as she usually was. Surely, she would get Azula's tykes at some point, but for now, Haru seemed to be managing the bunch pretty well.

"How was your day Iroh?"

"Not so good. Ursa and I went to visit Zuko today."

Mai hadn't seen him since he got taken to jail. She didn't bring Ursa II to say goodbye. How do you say I had to stab your father because he turned evil and now he's going to jail?

"I take it things didn't go as you had hoped."

"I wasn't hoping for anything in particular, but it was somehow worse than I had envisioned. Ozai's presence hardly helped."

"Like father like son," she said bitterly.

"That was the worst part. It was like Ozai was proud to have drug his son down with him."

Mai sipped her tea. Zuko's failures were his own despite whatever words Ozai put in his head.

At dinner, the whole family was around the table. Haru's father would be with them for a couple of days before he headed home to Omashu. Azula and Haru had invited him to stay, but he wanted to finish up some engineering projects before he moved.

They had a light meal after the gorge fest the day before, pine carrot soup and grilled komodo chicken salad.

Azula asked her children how their day was.

"We played games and we built a fort!" Hiro said excitedly. The fort was made with all of the pillows and blankets from the suite he shared with his sister.

"We went and got ice cream," Ty Lee said.

"Chocolate!" Hakoda said excitedly.

After the meal, Rei and Hiro wanted to play in the garden.

"Will you come with us Mom?"

"Of course." She took them to get bread and then to go feed the turtle ducks. Haru got Ta Min and took her too. Lu Ten was asleep.

The family found a bench. Hiro wanted to get close to the pond. Rei grabbed his collar, so he didn't fall in and Haru tried to show Ta Min how to throw the bread, but she would just drop it on the ground.

"Almost!"

Hiro would pick up the bread off the ground and throw them in the pond.

Ursa watched them from her pavilion. It was a bittersweet feeling. She remembered sitting out there with Zuko. Azula was usually training or practicing for her next lesson. She was always so serious.

Lu Ten was just starting to wake up. His grandfather picked him up. "Aren't you tiny?"

He carried the baby with him, looking for his daughter in law.

"Have you seen the Fire Lord?"

"She's outside," the servant told him.

He brought the baby to his mother.

"Thank you," she held him against her breast.

Lu Ten started to fuss.

"Someone wants to eat." Azula started to nurse him.

Her father in law averted his eyes, sitting down with Hiro. Rei started chasing the turtle ducks, wanting to catch one.

"Be careful. They bite," her mother warned her.

Rei heard that and sat down next to her father.

When Haru's grandfather came inside, he saw Ursa watching them. "You could go out there you know."

"I don't want to interrupt. It's such a perfect scene."

"They are something else."

* * *

Haru kissed his wife. "I love you so much." Ever since she walked into his life eight years ago, things had never been the same. He knew from the first kiss that he wouldn't be able to let her go. They started off in a tiny house in a no name town and now they are the royal family, and it didn't matter to Haru who they were or where they were as long as they were together.

Azula wouldn't have any of this without Haru. He taught her how to love and because he loved her, she was able to have everything she needed and then some. She had so many demons from her past and when she thought she couldn't overcome them, he was always there to hold her. "I love you more."

Hiro started to get sleepy. "Let's take them to bed."

They each had a baby in hand as they made their way into the palace. After putting Ta Min and Lu Ten in the nursery, they got their children ready for bed.

"Who wants a story?"

"I do."

"Which one?"

"Tell us about how you met," said Rei.

Haru started. "Well, I used to live in Omashu and I was supposed to marry a young lady named Mei Mei, but we kept arguing. She wanted to have kids right away. I thought we should be saving and she was always shopping. Eventually, she got sick of me and left, and I decided to move out of the city because it was expensive.

It was raining and I was eating chicken stew, which I was often eating because I didn't know how to make that many things and I hear a knock on my door. There were two people outside, a blanket draped over them to keep them from getting wet.

I open the door and it was grandpa and your mother.

"It's raining bearded cats and polar dogs out there," he said as they came inside.

When I first saw your mother, she took my breath away. Her hair was wet and her clothes were soaked," clinging to her voluptuous body.

Azula smiled when he said that. She had found him quite attractive when she first saw him. He was tall and looked strong, eyes like emeralds and black shiny hair that rivaled hers.

"But she had the most amazing eyes and timid smile. I asked her what her name was and she said 'I don't know.'"

Haru had been totally confused. How could she not know her name?

"'I found her near the Forgetful Valley,' my father told me. 'She must have ran through it.'

I had so many questions. 'Do you remember anything? Where you came from? Anything about your family.'

'No. I was tired, so I must have been running the whole way and I was thirsty. I started walking down the road looking for a town when your father found me.'

'She didn't have any money, which means she either lived on the other side of the valley or she was travelling with someone.' She was too healthy to have been impoverished.

I realized she didn't know anything about herself, so I tried to figure out what she did know. She remembered basic things like the names of common objects and foods, but she had no recollection of major events. I asked her if she remembered anything from the war and she said, 'what war?'

When I told her the world had been at war for 100 years, she shrugged. 'I don't know what I was doing during it.'

They stayed the night and planned on going to Omashu when the storm was over. I never slept well in thunderstorms and that night I went downstairs to get some milk when your mother was making a pot of tea.

'Would you like some?' she said.

'Where did you get the tea?'' I knew I didn't have any.

'Your father bought it along the way. I remember that I like it.'

Out of all of the things she could have remembered, she remembered tea.

She poured me a cup and I started telling her about myself. Most of that evening, I had been asking her questions.

She told me she loved thunderstorms and I asked her why. 'They're loud and disruptive.'

'Yes, but the lightening is beautiful and the water helps the crops grow and the flowers bloom. The trees are always more colorful after it rains.'

We stayed up all night talking, drinking tea and watching the storm through the windows.

When we woke up, my father had left. He left a note saying he thought she belonged right here and ever since, we've weathered every storm together."

Hiro was fast asleep. Rei was like 90% there. "Good night," their parents said as they kissed each of them.

They headed back to their suite. "I'm going to take a bath," she said.

"Have fun."

"You aren't going to join me?"

"Am I invited?"

"You're always invited."

"Well, in that case," Haru picked her up and ran with her to their room. Their eagerness never slowed down. If Azula wasn't careful, she would have baby number five before she was ready.

* * *

Kiyi went to say goodnight to her mother. When she got there, she realized her mom seemed a bit out of it. "Are you okay?"

"It's been a long day."

"Visiting Zuko didn't go well." How could it really?

"No. I just don't understand what made him think what he was doing was okay." He tried to make excuses, but they just made her ill.

"Who says he thought it was okay? Maybe he just thought he could get away with it."

That just wasn't enough for Ursa. "Do you think I'm a good mother?"

Kiyi sat down. "Of course you are. You're a great mother. Why would you even say that?"

"Look at my track record. One of my children is in jail for attempting to kill his sister and niece. Another one had to be institutionalized after being haunted of hallucinations of me and going into a homicidal rage."

"You can't blame yourself," Kiyi hugged her mother. "It's not your fault Zuko got greedy and I'm sure there were a lot of things that went wrong in Azula's life before she lost it. Were you the best mother to her, I don't know, but she also had an evil father, a clearly toxic relationship with her brother, and who knows how many other problems."

Ursa didn't know how to deal. She told herself she was a good mother that Azula's demise was unfortunate but it wasn't her fault, look how well Zuko turned out. There must have been something wrong with Azula, but Azula got it all together by leaving her family and everything she had behind when Zuko had everything but it wasn't enough. If all of her past assumptions were wrong, did Ursa know anything?

Kiyi said goodnight to her mother and went to her room. She hated that Ursa blamed herself for everything. It wasn't all her fault. She wondered if there was anything she could do. She didn't really know her older sister. She saw her once, when she was crazy and tried to kill their mother, and then heard nothing about her for years, just to go to her funeral and see that she had two kids and now here she is, alive and in charge with a nation to rule and four kids to raise.

Kiyi hadn't really known her brother either. Sure he invited them all to the palace and took care of the expenses, but he had really gone to get his mother, not to necessarily integrate Kiyi and Ikem into his new family. The palace was comfortable, but her relationship with him was never particularly strong. She felt a much closer connection to little Ursa and by extension to Mai.

She took the passageway back to her room. The palace was full of secrets, some that she knew, and many that she didn't.

She felt badly for her mother, but she didn't know how she could help. There was a knock on her door.


	8. A Mother's Regrets

"Come in."

It was Mai. "How's it going?"

"It's going fine."

"I know it's been a long week for you. It has been for all of us, but sometimes us adults get so wrapped up in our own drama, we forget about everyone else. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thanks, but I feel like I should be saying this to you. Your life just changed a lot more than mine has."

"True, but this is your family by blood and mine by marriage. It can't be easy to see a nearly fatal feud between siblings, and your mother caught in the middle."

"I just wish she would stop blaming herself. This isn't her fault."

"When you're a parent, you want the best for your children and when something goes wrong, your first thought what could I have done to prevent it? I'm sure she's being too hard on herself, but as a mother, it is her instinct to be hard on herself in times like this."

"I just want to help her."

"You are, by being there for her but this is her battle to fight Kiyi. She's got to confront her own demons. If she doesn't, she won't find peace."

Mai confronted hers a long time ago. After Boiling Rock, she hated Azula, resenting her for putting her in jail and for trying to kill the love of her life right in front of her. Her hatred turned to pity when Azula fell apart, but she had no desire to help her get well or try and befriend her again. She was sure the Princess was a lost cause and was relieved when she ran away, but when she learned that Azula had married and had two kids only to die in a freak accident, she reconsidered.

Mai enjoyed travelling with Azula and fighting. She partied with the firebender after she shot the Avatar with lightening. She enjoyed spending time with her friend, even though she was bossy and domineering. Mai had made her own mistakes but she got a second chance. Surely, she assaulted enough people to deserve some time in jail and her uncle was the warden so it wasn't so bad. She got back together with Zuko and they got married and they had a beautiful daughter. She realized all Azula wanted was a second chance too, and it got taken from her and it just wasn't fair.

What made Mai so worthy of redemption but not Azula. Sure, Azula shot more people, but if Mai had been a firebender, would she have not used lightening if she could? Azula had been under the thumb of a brutal tyrant. Mai had just been bored. Eventually, Mai reasoned that blaming herself wouldn't do any good. The only thing she could do was keep the lines of communication open and someday hope she could be there for Azula's children.

But then Azula came back from the dead and after getting over her shock and anger, Mai was relieved to get a second chance to restore their bond. They had been a formidable team during the war, but they could be an even better one now because they were on the right side, and they were family. She was still reeling over her husband's numerous betrayals, but she would be okay. She wasn't alone and she knew she wasn't responsible for his treachery. Unfortunately, Ursa didn't know how not to blame herself.

Mai couldn't fix the bond between Ursa and Zuko, but maybe she could help Azula and Ursa get it right.

* * *

The next day, Mai went to visit her friend. On her way to Azula's office, she ran into Ty Lee.

"Hey Mai!"

"Ty, what are you up to this morning?"

"I'm going to do yoga in the garden. Did you want to join me? It's good for your aura."

"I think my aura is fine for now."

"Alright. See you later." Ty Lee got outside.

Mai got to the door to hear the tail end of an argument.

"You can't do this!" Zuko's chief of staff was irate that Azula was reaching out to Ozai's employees that Zuko had canned at the end of the war. He was sure that Azula was going to undo all of her brother's hard work.

"Really? Because the last time I checked this was a free country and I could have lunch with whomever I choose." Azula did not want to dismiss him right away, lest she repeat her brother's error in judgment.

"Those men can't be trusted."

"Who said I trusted them?" I just want to hear what they have to say.

"They tried to kill your brother."

"And I want to make sure the don't try to kill me too."

"What?"

"Do you know why they tried to kill Zuko?"

"Because he helped end the war?"

"No because he ruined their lives. These men prided themselves on their jobs, their ability to say they proudly served the nation. He swept everyone who ever worked for Ozai with the same broad brush whether they were military generals or in charge of agriculture. He made them a disgrace. Their prides were wounded and they had all the free time in the world, so they tried to get back at him.

I'm not saying he should have trusted them or kept them around, but he should have at least considered them one by one and thought about ways of removing the troublesome ones that would be less fragile to their egos: moving them into a fluffy position that doesn't really doing anything, downsizing the government over all, so it doesn't look like it was personal, but instead he just said 'get out.'

You can't do that to entitled people with money to burn and not expect consequences. I'm not looking to bring these people back or to restart my father's war. I just want to make sure there are no hard feelings because I am sick of people trying to kill me."

"Very well my Lord. I will schedule the lunches."

"Good."

He excused himself. The two were not fond of each other. Azula wasn't expecting the to be best friends, but if he didn't learn to check his attitude, he would be out on his ass.

* * *

Mai knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Mai, what can I do you for?"

Mai sat down. It was weird sitting on this side of the office. She was used to the chair next to Zuko's. Unsurprisingly, Haru was going to be less active in the day-to-day political affairs than Mai had been. He hadn't been raised for this life, and he had four kids to attend to instead of just one. "Have you spoken your mother recently?"

"Briefly yesterday. Is she okay?" Azula assumed her visit wasn't what she was hoping for. What Ursa was hoping for was some kind of temporary insanity or Zuko had been brainwashed not that he struggled with the same megalomania that had plagued those who went before him.

"Kiyi's worried about her. Ursa keeps blaming herself for what happened."

"Of course she does."

"You're not surprised."

"It's why I told her not to visit him in the first place."

"You think that made it worse."

"She wanted to hear something that she could understand, some way of humanizing what he did, and when she didn't get it, she blamed herself for not raising him better, and knowing her, she confronted Ozai about it only to get more disturbed by whatever it was that he told her."

"What do you think would help her?"

Azula shrugged. I got my sanity back by running through the Forgetful Valley. I'm not sure if I'm the person to ask. "Honestly, I don't know my mother well enough to tell you."

Before Mai could say anything else, Azula's door swung open. "Mommy! Hiro hurt his arm when he fell out of a tree."

Azula had to go. "Did you get a nurse?"

"Yeah, but he was crying for you."

"Let's go. Mai, I'll talk to her later and see what I can do."

The Fire Lord was gone. Mai saw herself out.

When she got to the infirmary, Azula saw her son with a bandage going around his arm.

"He didn't break anything, my Lord, but he got a nasty bruise."

"I used my earthbending to raise the ground, so I didn't fall as far."

"Good boy," Azula kissed his head. "Maybe you shouldn't climb so high next time."

"Yes Mom."

"He will need to rest his arm for a few days. We can give him pain medicine if he needs it, but we will have to keep the dose small given his size."

"Make sure you listen to the nurse," Azula told him. "She's here to help you get better." She gave him another kiss.

Haru had gone to get his stuffed badger mole. "Oh, here you are." He kissed his wife after giving his son his favorite toy.

Once Hiro got out of the infirmary, Haru took him and the other kids for a day inside, telling them stories and snacks while Azula got back to work.

She had trouble focusing. Her thoughts kept returning to her mother. The situation frustrated her. No matter how successful she was, it never seemed like enough. Ursa had a comfortable life in the palace, a husband, two daughters at home, and five healthy grandkids, yet she still can't be happy because Zuzu is a disappointment.

She knew this conversation was long overdue. Unfortunately, she had no idea how it was going to go.

After dinner, the children were playing tag in the garden.

"Make sure the kids avoid his bad arm," Azula told Rei.

"I will Mom."

Azula kissed her forehead, and they were off. It was nice that all of the children got along. Soon, Ta Min would be old enough to play outside with them. The little girl was growing up so fast.

Iroh went to see Lu Ten II. He couldn't believe it when Azula had told him the boy's name. He was a bittersweet feeling. The sentiment was touching, but he couldn't help but remember the son he had lost when he looked at him. His cheekbones were high, just like his son's. Iroh had wanted to give Lu Ten a sibling, but he couldn't. His birth had been complicated, Iroh's wife unable to have any more children.

"You're a lucky little one," he told the baby. "You got three older siblings to look out for you and a cousin." They were all fairly close in age. "At their rate, you're going to have even more siblings some day." Iroh never would have thought Azula would have looked forward to motherhood, making an heir sure, but she could have stopped with Rei if that was her only goal. She has a brood and seems close to each one.

* * *

Ty Lee and Mai were having girl time.

"So I heard there's a fella who likes you."

Mai blushed. "Maybe. I'm in no rush, but there's no reason not to at least write some letters and see if anything happens."

"Oh, this could be just what you need. It was you and Zuko so early and for so long. You never really got the chance to date around and see what's out there."

Mai frowned. She had a point.

"Did I say the wrong thing?"

"No. It's just…" Mai flashed back to a moment when she had visited Azula in the asylum.

"You know, you made a huge mistake right."

"Seeing as how you're the one behind bars, I don't think so."

"That's not what I meant," Azula said bitterly. "You and Zuzu. You will always put more into the relationship than he ever will. You're a convenient girlfriend. You will protect him. Your presence will help him politically. You're a good tool. That would be fine if he was just a stepping stone to be Fire Lady, but you love him. That is your mistake. It will only bring you heartache when you realize he will never really let you in, marry you maybe, have a couple of kids, give you a comfortable life, but he will never really be yours."

Mai had stormed out angrily, heartless bitch! What does she know about love? Mai had been determined to prove her wrong. When she learned about Zuko's visits to Ozai, she feared Azula right. He kept it from her, but then he won her back. They got married, had a gorgeous daughter, but he never stopped lying. He didn't tell her Ursa II couldn't bend. She had fainted upon delivery and didn't know that the doctor had told them.

He cheated on her, trying to have a child with another woman because he thought she was barren. When she saw Suki's medical record, what Zuko had said to the doctor, it made her sick to the stomach. He was there for Suki's medical visits. He wasn't there for hers.

The lies continued when it came to the state of the Crown. She had no idea how precarious his reign had been. He made it seem like some terrorist rebels, not a genuine shift of public opinion. He framed his sister, tried to kill her and their niece.

All the while, she loved him. What kind of fool was she?

When Mai told Ty Lee what she was thinking, the girl shook her head. "Look, Azula was bitter and crazy. You can't think she had all of the answers and you just ignored it."

"That's the thing. She was bitter and crazy, but even she could still see that Zuko was using me."

"Could she? She rambled about all kinds of stuff. Some of it was right, but that doesn't mean she wasn't just making it all up."

"I guess."

"Don't guess anything. You are a great girl Mai, and you shouldn't think less of yourself because of what he did. I can't imagine how hard this is for you, but you don't have to do it alone. Sokka and I will be here a little while longer and we're always a letter away. Take your time, but don't be afraid to let a new man into your heart because of your past."

Ty Lee confessed something of her own. "It was hard for Sokka to trust me at first. He didn't say it out loud, but I know that long distance really bothered him because of his first marriage. It got easier as we spent more time together, and now we can stay together. It's never just a walk in the park. There's always work when it comes to building trust."

"I never would have guessed. You two look perfect together."

"Well, perfection takes practice."

* * *

Haru and Sokka were sharing some whiskey, a common past time for the two friends.

"I never thought I'd be here," Haru laughed. He had only been to the palace when the war ended for Zuko's coronation. Now, he's living here, and he has his own servants, which he finds unnecessary, but they won't stop drawing his bath or washing his hair for him.

"Get your crown yet?" Sokka teased.

"No, I have to get my head measured."

"You can't just take Zuko's crown?" He won't need it.

"The jewel setting is wrong because he had a Fire Lord crown and I'm the Fire Man or whatever." I didn't care, but the sages made a fuss, so Azula said fine, make him a crown.

"You can't have the wrong jewel setting."

"That's what they told me."

The two laughed.

"I've been doing some jewelry shopping of my own."

"Are you going to get your own crown? You better not upstage me!"

"No, I'm going to propose."

"Oh, I didn't know you felt this way about me," Haru feigned seriousness.

"I mean to …"

Haru started laughing.

"You're a dick."

"Oh, I'm sure she's going to love it."

"I'm just waiting for the ring to be ready and I need to think of how."

"Don't put it in her food. I've heard too many horror stories from women who accidentally swallowed their ring. It's not as appealing once it has to go through the other side."

"EW!"

"I know right."

"How did you propose?"

"I took Azula on a hike. We went into the Cave of Two Lovers and as you know, it's pretty easy to get lost in there. She had no idea where we were, but I was able to use my earthbending to see to the end.

I told her the myth, that if we kissed, we would find our way out. When we did, there was a sparkling jewel in the distance. We followed it but it just kept moving. When we got outside, she saw that it was a ring that I had made for her. (He used his earthbending to keep moving the jewel, so Azula would have to follow it out of the cave)

I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me."

"I hope Ty Lee doesn't hear that story. It's a hard act to follow."

"You have an adorable son. If he handed her the ring, I bet she'd be beaming."

"Not a bad idea."

This isn't uncomfortable, Azula thought to herself. She was with her mother, a kettle of tea in between them. She really didn't know how to start. _Everyone says there is something wrong with you, out with it_, hardly seemed like the way to start the conversation

"How is your tea?"

"It's nice." Ursa usually didn't drink black teas. She found them too strong, but this one was fairly subdued.

"How did your visit go?"

"It was fine," Ursa lied.

"Really?"

"No," Ursa admitted. "I wish I hadn't gone."

"Why not?"

"Well, I got into a conversation with Ozai and that never goes well and I didn't get what I was hoping for."

"You were hoping Zuko had temporary insanity and now he's magically cured."

"Something like that," she laughed weakly.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Ursa asked an unexpected question. "Why Ozai?"

"What?" Azula had no idea what that meant.

"When you were in trouble, you went to Ozai. Why him?"

"I knew he would believe me."

"You didn't think I would have."

"Would you have?" she asked quickly.

Ursa frowned. "Probably not." How could she have envisioned this?

"You aren't alone. Haru didn't believe it at first and neither did Ty Lee or Sokka. I had to make a choice. Out of all of the people I could have asked, who would have been the least likely to ignore the script and try to talk it out with Zuko. I knew that Ozai was my best bet."

"Because you're his favorite."

Maybe I was once. "Because he was spoon feeding Zuko his ideas. He had no reason to go 'say it isn't so,' to the person he was aiding."

Azula knew he was helping Zuko do all of this, of course she did. She knows her father's work like no other. "But you trusted him anyway."

"Define trust. Did I trust him to help me out of the goodness of his heart? No. Did I trust him to bring about Zuko's downfall the first chance he got? Yes."

"This was just a game." Her voice grew cold.

"Everything is a game to Ozai," Azula put her mug down and looked straight into her mother's eyes. She always knew how to reach right into her soul with her words. "For me, this was about my life and my family. I told myself I would never leave my kids, but I walked down the beach, knowing that they would believe the worst.

I told myself I would never be you, but there I was, hiding away in a cottage while my husband tried to find out who hired the assassins. I told myself I would never leave my children in danger, but I had to sit back while my brother tried to kill my daughter, putting all of my faith in Ty Lee to make sure she was okay. That wasn't a game. I became everything I didn't want to be because of him. Remind you of someone we know."

Ursa started to weep. "How could this happen?"

"You mourn the loss of an ideal mother, not a person. You always saw people as archetypes: heroes, villains, and victims. I used to be the same way, but I saw people as winners or losers, nothing else mattered. Zuko fit the mold you cast for him. He struggled through adversity, but he found the light. He was there to save the day. He was your assurance that you were a good mother, look how well he turned out.

It was just an ideal, a fantasy, an allusion. You didn't see the man within. Maybe he wanted to be "good," but he was never good at it. He was angry that dad spurned him, jealous that I bended better than he did, impulsive when it came to making decisions and selfish when it came to his family.

He lied to his wife, he betrayed her trust, and he used her for his own political gain, but he kept it all hidden behind a dark screen. Ozai might have baited him, but he never told him to lie and say Ursa II could bend when she couldn't, start an affair with another woman when he thought Mai was barren or to send a hit man after his pregnant sister, so she couldn't produce a firebender.

No person fits any ideal, mother. They all come with their strengths and their weaknesses, their moments of bravery and their cowardice. You won't find peace until you learn to accept the entirety of people. They won't stay in your little boxes. They aren't bonsai plants."

Ursa could feel her own heart breaking. Somehow, it happened all over again, except with a new generation. Ursa wanted to believe it wasn't her fault, but children learn their patterns from their parents. Was this destined? Ursa wondered if her fate had been determined the moment she said yes.

Suddenly, a gaggle of children appeared in the room. Ursa II ran to her grandmother. Hakoda II and Hiro climbed up to Azula. Rei chose her own chair.

"How was your game?"

"Rei was it!" Hiro said.

"He pretended he hurt his arm and when I went to go check on him, he tagged me and ran," Rei claimed.

Hiro laughed.

"Did you trick your sister?"

He nodded.

"You are a sneaky one. I'm gonna have to watch out for you." She kissed his forehead.

"Humph!" Rei retorted.

"I remember you using that trick on your father once or twice."

"It's my trick. He stole it!"

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery."

Rei hated it when her mother said that (Hiro was always copying her) and stuck out her tongue.

Azula stuck out her tongue right back.

"How mature," Mai said dryly.

Azula and Rei turned, both sticking their tongue out at Mai. She rolled her eyes. The other kids joined in on the fun and started making faces at each other.

Sokka and Haru appeared for their little ones. He scooped up his son, and kissed Ty Lee. "It's your bed time little man."

"AW!"

"How about I read you a story?"

"Yay!"

Hiro needed to go to bed too. Haru scooped him up.

The young adults got all of their kids in bed. Azula had to feed Ta Min. When she was done, she came back with her younger daughter in her arms to find everyone in the tearoom, except her mother.

Haru kissed Ta Min's forehead. "Whose my little princess?"

"Dada."

"He's not a princess," Azula teased as she kissed her daughter's forehead.

Haru started tickling Ta Min's tummy.

She had such a squeal when she laughed.

"I think Ty Lee has the same laugh," Sokka teased as he tickled her.

She shoved him playfully. "You jerk."

He kissed her nose.

"Where's Lu Ten?" Mai asked.

"He's still asleep. I'll wake him up before I got to bed to see if he wants to eat." She usually had to coax him awake for his feeding. He was fine with just sleeping the clock around.

* * *

Ursa had gone back to her bedroom. Her head was too full of thoughts to continue socializing with the others. _You mourn an ideal mother, not a person._ She wanted to refute those words as soon as they left Azula's mouth, but her throat betrayed her, not allowing a word out.

"Are you feeling better?" Ikem asked her as he hugged her.

"Yes," she lied. She hated burdening him with all of this. She left Hira'a to marry Ozai. Ikem shouldn't have to see her through all of the damage her previous marriage caused. She tried to put it in the back of her mind. "Let's go to bed."


	9. A Big Roof and A Lot of Kids

The Palace had a full house. There were still several empty bedrooms, but there were so many people in the palace at the moment, that you never had to walk far to find someone. This was unusual for Kiyi. When she first got to the palace, the Kyoshi Warriors were here, but they were often in a group and they left years ago. For a long time, it had just been her parents, Zuko, Mai and Ursa II and now there were an additional 11 people here. Sure only six of them were going to be here permanently but even that is double the population.

So many people were in the palace, but none of them were in her age group. She was almost 13 and the child closest to her age was only 6. Out of the people older than she, the youngest was her sister who was 23, married and with four children; neither candidate was really in her world, one too young for school, and the other long done with it.

She liked her nieces and nephews, but it wasn't the same as having someone her own age as a friend.

Mai's brother was almost her age. He used to come over and play but they were in that awkward stage for boys and girls after cooties but before dating.

She started to read.

* * *

Little Ursa loved having all of these kids in the house. Before, she would only play with Mom or Aunt Kiyi or Grandma, but now, she had three other kids for games and Uncle Haru would play with them during the day.

Today, they were playing save the princess. Rei was the dragon. Hiro and Hakoda were the heroes, Ursa was the Princess in need of a rescue and Haru was the narrator because all fairytales have narrators.

"Release the Princess at once!" Hiro and Hakoda had sticks for swords.

Rei growled and began to chase them.

"Oh No! Will the warriors save the princess or will the dragon eat them for dinner!"

"Fe Fi Fo Fump I smell the blood of two warriors."

Hakoda tripped and fell on his butt.

"One warrior is down. Hiro, it's all you."

"I'm going to slay you!" He fake stabbed Rei.

"AHHHH!" she screamed as she died a fiery death.

Hiro came back for the princess. "You're saved!"

* * *

While the kids played outside, Sokka and Ty Lee enjoyed a lazy morning in bed.

"I love you," he murmured against her skin as she curled up beside him.

"Say it again."

"I love you Ty Lee."

She kissed him gently. "I love you Sokka."

They were grateful that Haru would take Hakoda II with his brood in the morning, giving them a couple of hours to themselves.

"I'm excited about going to the tribe."

"They're going to love you," he said.

"I want to see your world. I've only barely seen snow before."

"Barely?"

"There was practically none in Omashu last winter."

"That was more like dandruff than snow."

"And you would know Mr. Dandruff."

"Yeah ... wait a minute."

She kissed his nose. We should probably get up and help Haru with the kids.

When they got outside, he was just bringing them all in. It was time for Hakoda's nap.

Ty Lee picked him up. "Ready to rest."

He was already starting to fall asleep.

Hiro insisted he wasn't tired but he kept yawning.

"How about a short nap?" Haru put his son on his shoulders and got him in bed.

The girls had a tea party with Mai and Ty Lee, leaving the guys to their own devices.

"It's like you have a village in this house," Sokka told him. He didn't know anyone with four kids growing up.

"I love it. I always wanted a lot of kids, being an only child."

"What about Azula?"

"She agreed to two right away and then let's play it by ear. I would like to have more, but she needs a break. She's been pregnant for almost half our marriage."

Sokka did the math. "She spent like three years pregnant."

"She reminds me often, but she's such a great Mom." Haru's mother died when he was young, so it had always been just him and his father. Azula was never close to her own mother, so she was extra determined to be close to her children, and she promised she would never pick favorites.

Sokka couldn't disagree. Hakoda II had taken a liking to her when he stayed with her in the cottage. He and Hiro were like brothers. "I want to have at least one kid with Ty Lee."

"She has siblings right?"

Sokka laughed. "She's got six identical sisters."

"Six!"

"You don't remember seeing all of them arguing at Zuko's coronation."

"I was shitfaced. I thought I had double vision."

"Nope."

"Well, I guess she doesn't want seven kids."

"Not on her life."

"I wouldn't mind seven."

"You wouldn't be pregnant for 2+ years trying to get them."

"Azula might have twins."

Ty Lee might be more likely. "Do multiple births run through bloodlines?"

Haru shrugged. "I have no idea."

Sokka pictured trying to fit a bunch of kids under one icy roof. He might need to build a bigger house.

* * *

Aang and Katara were back at the Air Nation. He would need to go back to the Fire Nation to talk to Azula about Zuko's punishment at one point, but he decided to hold on the discussions until the investigation was finished. There was no point in decided what to do with him before they completely uncovered what he had done.

"I wish we had more time to ourselves," Aang said to his wife. "I swear as soon as one problem is solved a new one is waiting for it, so it can emerge." They had just dealt with a gang of thieves in Republic City and were on their way home when Zuko had gotten arrested and deposed from the crown.

To her credit, Azula had gotten the country under control quickly, having meetings with all of Zuko's advisors, his staff and everyone with a high level position all within the first week of her taking over.

"Me too, but let's enjoy this while we have it." She kissed him and they rested on the couch while Bumi played in the grass.

Aang wondered how he was supposed to bring back the airbenders and be the avatar and be married.

Katara was just relieved they only had one child for now. She was tired just with him. She knew she would do the brunt of the childrearing with him saving the world all the time, and she knew it would only get busier. At the tribe, all of the mothers would band together, but now, it was just her.

"I wonder how Sokka did it before Ty Lee." He had been raising Hakoda alone. It couldn't have been easy, even with Gran Gran's help.

"No idea. He always hated chores, called it women's work!"

"I bet he doesn't say that kind of stuff now."

"I wonder why he's still at the palace." He said he'd come visit before he went back to the tribe. She thought he would have sent a letter giving them a date by now.

"He might be helping with the investigation," Aang said.

"How many kids do they have under that roof?"

Aang did the math. "They have two babies, four young children and Kiyi who is almost grown."

"I would think they're trying to restart a race," Katara said.

"Haru said he wanted more."

"Than four?"

"Yeah."

"I sympathize with Azula. Being pregnant is tiring."

* * *

The warriors were all back on Kyoshi Island. Meng was effectively the leader of the group at this point. She had given Suki her leadership position back when she returned after leaving Sokka, but Meng was taking responsibility since Suki moped a lot instead of leading.

Girls had come and gone since the war ended. Ty Lee had been a warrior for seven years, and by the time she left, there had been more warriors that joined after her than ones that had joined before her. Almost two years later, Suki was the only one left. Everyone else had either married or taken employment elsewhere, where they could make more money or face less risk. Most girls were warriors for 5-8 years or so. Suki had over a decade in and her best warrior days were behind her.

They were having a team meeting, which they had inside during the winter and behind the warrior house when it was warmer.

Suki stayed in her room, feeling under the weather.

One girl said, "why is Suki still a warrior?" She skips meetings, isn't all that attentive during her shift and she's not too pleasant to have under your roof.

"We don't just kick out girls because they are older," Meng said.

"What about being useless?" said another girl.

"She did a lot during the war," Meng replied.

"Like what, get captured."

"She defended the palace after the war."

"She had an affair with a murderous Fire Lord."

"I like Suki," one girl said, "but she needs help, like professional help."

The majority of the girls there wanted her out and to free up a spot for new blood.

Suki only loved one man. She thought that she would have been his wife, that he would have left Mai for her if she had given him a son. She had only slept with Sokka like once during that time. How did the baby end up being his?

Now, she had nothing. Sokka had her son. Ty Lee had replaced his memory of her. Her soul mate was in jail, probably for life and not even the warriors wanted her anymore. Well, she was staying until they kicked her out. They may not like her under their roof, but she didn't have another one.

* * *

Iroh was going to head back to his teashop soon. He had come to make sure that the palace was stable and to stay for Azula's coronation. Now he was ready to get back to his own roof.

He saw Sokka headed down the hall. They had been having guy time while the girls had their tea party.

"Sokka, how is it going?"

"It's going really well. How are you?"

The two men started talking. Iroh asked him if he was planning to go to the tribe soon.

"Soon, but not immediately. I have one last thing to do here, then to the Southern Air Temple and then we're going to the tribe."

"You've been quite the nomad over the last few years."

From helping the Avatar, to his journeys with his son to his trips with Ty Lee looking for a would be killer, he had been all over the place. "I've been pretty busy lately. It will be nice to settle down at home."

"I'm going to be heading home too." Iroh joined the guys in the lounge where Haru had Hakoda, Hiro and Lu Ten, who was asleep in his father's arms.

Azula was working when Iroh stopped by.

"How's it going?"

"Slowly," she said. She was trying to figure out what Zuko was smoking when he negotiated these trade agreements. She was looking to opt out of all of the ones with options in them.

"A lot of paperwork."

Azula was drowning in it. "A lot of gibberish. I can't believe Zuko signed any of this." He sold our crops undervalue in a drought. He paid way too much for foreign imports.

"I think he put international harmony over fiscal responsibility."

"If we have to starve our own people for international harmony, I'm just going to bite the turtle duck and be unpopular."

"Maybe it doesn't have to be a zero sum game. Just because Zuko chose one over the other, doesn't mean you can't have both. It just means you have to rig your scales."

"Before I even get to that stage, I have to read all of this crap."

"Doesn't Zuko have a staff for this?"

"The same staff that helped arrange this crud. _Hey, will you help me undo all of the work you did over the past year. It was really bad_."

Iroh snorted. "I suppose that would not be the best way to start your reign."

"His chief of staff hates me. I think most of his staff is scared of me and even if I wanted to replace them, I need to find replacements which will eat even more time right now."

"Have you had any volunteers?"

"Other than Ozai's cronies hoping for a comeback."

"You're not impressed."

"It's a hard line. Some of these guys have a lot of experience, which would be helpful when I've been out of the political arena for almost a decade, but some of them got to their success on their father's coattails or by bribery. Also, I'm trying to carve a new name for myself. I can't follow my father or my brother's path, but if I take either of their staff, it looks that way and it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks."

"You have a unique problem." The Fire Lord position used to last people decades. Ozai only lasted six years. Zuko didn't make it until nine. She was the fourth Fire Lord in her lifetime, which was unusual for the country. "Maybe you need a blend of staff, some from Ozai, some from Zuko, some that are yours. You need to be aware of the past problems while building towards something new."

"Three different staffs all under one roof. It will either be a genius move or a total disaster." Azula could see it go either way.

"For the Crown, that is nothing new."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I usually try to be helpful."

"I know that, but usually not when it's about me."

"I thought about you a lot when I thought you died. I tried to understand why I could never relate to you before. I think you were too much like me for me to get along with you."

Azula frowned. Unfortunately, that made a lot of sense.

"We each were the favored child of tyrannical a Fire Lord, eager to prove our worth with our bending and military prowess. We both had poor relationships with our brothers who tried to prove themselves to their dad's only to get rejected repeatedly.

I wasn't very close to my mother either, not that we didn't get along, but she just stayed out of war and politics and that was my world. We both were raised to believe the Crown was ours and ignored every sign that it might not be and ultimately we both lost what we cared about and got pushed aside by brothers who found their way around their fathers.

Everything changed for me when Lu Ten died. I realized that my ambitions were not worth what I had given up to try to get them. I set myself on a new path and it was hard for me to watch you grow up because you were just like how I used to be. It was easier to shed my past like a snake, act like it was some other Iroh that had nothing to do with me, but you were too familiar. It was like looking into a foggy mirror; I couldn't escape what I was.

I favored Zuko because I thought he was my second chance. He was like a son to me and I thought if I got it right with him, it would make up for failing my brother and my son, but it just compounded the problem. I saw Zuko as a heroic archetype and not as a man with serious character flaws that I noticed during the war, but after it, I thought Zuko had defeated all of his demons. I stopped paying attention.

While I ignored the darkness that was still in Zuko's soul, I had entirely missed out on the light that was in yours. When you were in your darkest hour, you couldn't come home, but that wasn't your fault. It was ours and a part of it was mine. I can't give you back the time you lost with your children or undo the hardships you faced along the way, but I can try to help you now."

For the first time in a long time, Azula smiled at her uncle. "I'd like that, but I actually have a family problem I could use some help with."

* * *

That weekend, Azula got the entire family ready for the beach.

"Are we all going to fit in the family's vacation house?" Ursa asked as they got ready to get on the palanquins

"No. I bought the one next door to it."

"Maybe we should buy the one on the other side too," Haru said. "In case we have more kids."

"It's not happening anytime soon," she chided.

"But the house might be gone by then."

"You just want me to have more kids."

"Yeah."

They got everyone to the beach. Azula's last two trips here had not been so good. Hopefully, this one will be better.

Hakoda was just learning to swim. Ty Lee was cheering him on while Sokka was actually teaching him. Azula was in the water with Hiro and Rei. Little Ursa was building a sand castle with Haru.

"You're cheating!"

"I can't use my earthbending?"

"Nope. Gotta get a bucket!"

Kiyi went to go play with some of the older kids, and Ikem was sleeping under a book he had brought to read.

This left Iroh with Lu Ten, and Ursa and Mai were with Ta Min.

"I can't believe she took this many people on a vacation," Mai said. When she said family vacation, Mai had assumed Azula's immediate family and maybe the other two kids, but she brought everyone.

"We used to come here when they were kids. She put a turtle crab in Zuko's swimming shorts."

Mai snorted. "Like mother like daughter." Rei was chasing Hiro around with a turtle crab in her hands.

"Auntie!" Ta Min said with a giggle.

Mai scooped her up. "Aren't you the cutest?"

After swimming was lunch at the turtle crab shack, afternoon naps for the younger children while the ladies went shopping and they went out to a show after dinner.

Azula knew the children would sleep through Love Amongst the Dragons, so instead they took them to a circus inspired, art show, with fire juggling, a tightrope walker and a mime, a contortionist and various dancers.

It was an outdoor performance so you could come and go as you wished. Kiyi saw some kids her own age and disappeared.

"She's always ditching us," Ursa said.

"It's only going to get worse at her age," Mai told her. "Wait until she starts talking about boyfriends."

"Oh Agni No!"

Ty Lee, Sokka and Hakoda walked along the beach together. "It's so beautiful here," Ty Lee said.

Sokka nodded at Hakoda.

"I have a present for Mommy!" He handed her a box.

She was surprised to get a ring box. "Where did you get this?"

Sokka got on one knee. "Ty Lee, will you marry me?"

Her heart skipped like five beats. "Yes!" She jumped in his arms.

They kissed passionately on the beach, almost forgetting Hakoda's presence until he said, "Mommy!"

She broke the kiss to scoop him up and kiss his forehead.

When they got back to the house, Ty Lee had a ring to show off.

"Mommy said yes!" Hakoda yelled proudly.

"It's gorgeous," Mai told her. "And Sokka's not so bad."

"Haha, thanks Mai." Sokka was so happy right now.

Of course, the girls started gabbing about wedding plans. The guys started drinking beer and the kids got put to bed.

Azula closed her eyes. She really needed this vacation. Iroh suggested it to help Ursa. When everyone else was asleep, Azula was making tea.

"Still a night owl?" Ursa asked her.

"Sometimes."

"You used to roam the palace halls at night."

"I know. The best conversations were the ones that happened when the kids were supposed to be asleep."

"You were always too smart for your own good."

Azula started pouring the cups. "I'm nothing. I think Rei might have been born an adult."

"She is just like you."

"That almost sounded like a compliment."

"It was." Ursa was learning to let go. It was a struggle, but she had to move forward with what she had. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Everything, marriage, four kids, being the Fire Lord, not falling asleep at this very moment."

"It's easier when you love your husband," Azula said bluntly.

Ursa looked startled.

"I didn't mean that the way it came out."

"No, I never loved Ozai, well not the way I love Ikem, but I was young, and a small town girl. It wasn't every day that a Prince came through at all, and to ask for my hand. I couldn't say no."

"You could have said no. You were just afraid of the consequences, so you said yes."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is accountability. Your choice was understandable. Your choice was even forgivable at least it was for Ikem, but when you take choices you don't like, the hard ones, and say you had no choice, you fail to own up to what you did. You don't learn anything, and the next time you're facing a tough choice, you're no better off than the last time. It's how people get into trouble." It's how Zuko got into trouble."

"I always struggled with making decisions. Sure I would pick the one I thought was best at the time, but I would doubt myself as soon as I did it."

"Of course. Once you've done it, the negative consequences sink in. Before, it's easy, all you can see is the outcome you want, not what you had to pay for it."

"I thought I did the right thing, the night that Azulon died, but now I keep asking myself, what would have happened if I talked to him instead; maybe, he just would have jailed Ozai, and we all would have been okay."

"You're starting to get it, but when you make two steps forward, you take one back. You are reconsidering your past choices, which is good, but your end goal is to try and imagine a world where Zuko didn't do what he did. You can't rewrite his script to give him a better ending, and you can't say your choices were bad because he made worse choices over a decade later.

Zuko is like Ozai, which is why they don't get along. Each of them is close to his mothers but spurned by his father. Each ignored by his father for a more talented sibling. Each convinced that the Crown was their only form of vindication. Each of them had another do his bidding to get the crown, and each became obsessed with eclipsing the legacy of the man who went before him, causing his downfall.

Ozai ignored the warning signs that his plans to rule the world weren't working. The dead Avatar wasn't dead. The resistance was bold enough to invade for the first time in 100 years, failing of course, but they organized and attempted to do it. Ozai lost Omashu and various prisoners escaped, but he refused to quit because he had to beat Azulon; he had to do what his father couldn't. He tried to burn down the Earth Kingdom only to find himself stripped of his bending and in jail.

Zuko had the promise to make things better, but he couldn't change who he was. He couldn't let go of his resentment for his father. At first, being Fire Lord was fairly easy. He was popular amongst the people and yeah there were some assassination attempts, but none of them were particularly good, but he went to Ozai for political advice.

Why do that when he could have gone to Iroh, or Mai's father or any number of people with experience with the Fire Nation? He had to remind Ozai that he was in charge. He was rubbing salt in the wound. Ozai could either help Zuko or get shut out entirely, so he decided to offer advice. Zuko should have cut himself loose, but instead he decided to dance in Ozai's web. His ego got him stuck in it.

Skip ahead a few years and the post war excitement is over. People want tangible results and Zuko can't deliver them. He's facing a potential revolution, but he doesn't ask for help. He can't show his father or anyone else that he is too weak to rule on his own. He can't ask me for help because I'm the favored sibling he resented. He can't risk me replacing him, which might happen if he doesn't do something, so he tries to kill me.

He couldn't bear the idea of his legacy being as much of a failure as his father's. If I had succeeded him or even ruled alongside of him, he would have had to admit that Ozai was right, that he didn't have what it took. Proving a point to his father mattered more than anything else, and it lead to his ruin.

You can't pick his priorities Mom. There were a lot of what ifs that could have changed things, but his what ifs have to come first. He has to want to change. Until he does, there's nothing for you to do other than move forward with your own life. You have a husband, two daughters, two in laws and five grandchildren. You have a lot to look forward to if you just let yourself."

Azula went to bed, leaving her mother with that thought.

Like Azula, Kiyi liked to eavesdrop on the adult conversations when she was allegedly in bed already. This was her first time really observing her sister. Azula was a complex character. Her relationship with their mother was most unusual, somewhere between child and therapist.


	10. Looking Back and Looking Forward

After the vacation got back to the palace, and Azula had the energy she needed to get the wheels turning. She would advance this country, try and stop her.

Ty Lee and Sokka were getting ready to go to the Air Temple.

"We're going to see Aunt Katara," Ty Lee told Hakoda.

"Aunt Tara!"

She kissed his forehead.

Iroh headed back to his teashop. "I guess I gotta work someday."

Azula said they would try to visit Ba Sing Se in the spring, but it would likely be late spring. She had a lot to do here.

He stopped by to see Lu Ten before he left and Ursa was holding him. "Isn't he adorable?"

The baby smiled at his grandmother.

Iroh kissed his forehead. "I bet you'll be so big the next time I see you." He said his farewell to the rest of the children and then he was headed home.

* * *

Mai was wondering if she should write Ruon a letter. It would be kind of comical to tell him about Ember Island, given that they met there and she helped wreck his then best friend's house.

Dear Ruon Jian,

I had a family vacation on Ember Island this weekend and it made me think of you since we met there. This time, I did not have any epic fights with my boyfriend or vandalize a house, but I did eat too many turtle crab cakes and my daughter built an epic sandcastle.

Guess how many people we took on this vacation.

Come on guess…

Including myself, there were 15 of us on the trip, talk about chaos. Who thought it would be a good idea to take two babies, four children, one pre-teen and eight adults on one vacation? Oh yeah, the Fire Lord. Talk about crying babies, disputes over what to eat, and trying to find family appropriate entertainment that wasn't boring.

All things considered, it was a pretty fun time. Don't tell Azula, lest she try to make it an annual event. It will only get crazier as our children get older.

I hope all is well with you.

Mai

* * *

She left the letter on her desk, _no way am I sending this!_

Unfortunately for Mai, she didn't communicate this to her servant, who went through the trouble of sending out the letter for her.

Her letter made it to Ruon Jian a day later, since he lived in Capital City.

He laughed when he got it.

He fashioned the following response.

* * *

Dear Mai,

How did you fit 15 people in one vacation house? Did you set up tents in the back and pretend it was a refugee camp? You totally could have worked in a historical lesson and made it an educational trip; it might have qualified as tax deductible in that case.

I'm disappointed you didn't vandalize Chan's house this time. It really should be an Ember Island tradition. Although, I suppose wanting to be a responsible mother is a good enough excuse, this time.

I am having a good time. I got a promotion, which was unexpected, but I won't complain. Now, I get to help brainstorm projects to help rebuild the Fire Nation. I know I want at least one project to involve agriculture, since food supplies have been a problem over the years. I'm not sure if I should focus on reducing water waste or cleaning up polluted soil.

As you can tell, I have the most glamorous job. There's nothing sexier than a man who cleans up the environment, at least that's what they promised me when I took this job. I hope it's true.

I'm sure the Fire Lord will come up with plenty of activities for a group of 15. If you thought Ember Island was something, watch out.

Cheers,

Ruon Jian

* * *

When Mai got his letter, she realized that someone must have sent out the one she wrote. I can't believe he read that! Furthermore, she couldn't believe he wrote back. I guess he doesn't think I'm as much of a weirdo as I think I am. Does this mean he's also a weirdo?

Dear Ruon Jian,

We actually fit 15 people in two vacation houses. Apparently, buying the house next door made more sense than bring fewer people on the vacation. This gave everyone a place to sleep, but it made getting everyone in the same place complicated. People kept going in and out of houses. No one knew who was where. Haru wanted to buy the house on the other side in case they have more kids, so maybe they'll try to have an 18-person vacation. Who knows?

Congratulations on the promotion. I know nothing about agriculture, but I'm sure you will do something impressive. I cannot and will not comment on the sexiness of an environmentalist relative to the general population.

The brood is has shrunk from 15 to 11, but that is still a lot of people who live here normally. Every time we get visitors, it's like a full house.

Best,

Mai

* * *

While they wrote back and forth, Ty Lee and Sokka made their way to the Air Nation.

Katara was excited to finally have guests. No one really visited them except for Sokka and he hadn't been there in some time.

She cleaned up the temple, making sure everything was in place.

"It's just Sokka," Aang said about to eat an apple.

"He's bringing Ty Lee, and I don't want her thinking we live in squalor; you better put that core away when you're done." I.e. not leave it on the ground and walk away.

"Okay, but she lived in a circus. I doubt she's a clean freak."

Two hours later, Sokka arrived with his fiancée and his son.

"Aunt Tara! Uncle Aang!" He yelled as he ran towards them.

"Hi Hakoda," Katara scooped him up and hugged him. "You're getting so big!"

"Hi Aang!" Ty Lee hugged him and then Katara.

"Where's Bumi?" Sokka asked.

"He's taking his nap. Did you have fun in the Fire Nation?"

"We did," Sokka said.

"He proposed," Ty Lee showed them the ring.

"AAHH!" Katara yelled and hugged Ty Lee, scaring Aang and Sokka. "Welcome to the family. Oh, I'm so happy for you two." She hugged her brother. "It's about time."

"What? We haven't even been dating two years."

"Time has nothing to do with it, oh you to are so good together and Hakoda can have a sibling and aw!" She went into wedding mode, telling Ty Lee all about the tribe traditions.

Sokka wanted to let Ty Lee have whatever kind of wedding he wanted. He already did the full on tribe thing once.

Aang felt reminiscent of when he was engaged to Katara. The Air Nation didn't have formal ceremonies, so he just went with what she had wanted.

Bumi woke up, possibly from his mother's loudness, and Sokka scooped him up.

"Uncle Sokka's here."

"Sokk-uh!"

"I wish I saw more of him."

"You would if you visited more," Katara retorted.

"Sorry. I had to wait for the jeweler to be done making the ring."

"This time. You used to visit more often."

"I got tied up and it's not like you tried to visit me."

"Where would I go, Mr. Nomad?"

"Well, we'll be in the tribe more consistently now." Sokka was so glad to have his life on track. He was in love with an amazing woman, had an awesome son and he would be going back home to his people. Two years ago, his marriage was collapsing and he had no idea what the future had in store, but he liked where his life was now.

Ty Lee was glad to be settling down. Azula was right. Being a warrior for so long was wearing down on her, mentally more than physically. It was great being one of the girls, but she loved having a family of her own and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

This was her first time in the Southern Air Temple. It was really nice.

* * *

Zuko started to lose track of the days. He had no calendar and no reason to keep track anymore. His only reprieve is that Ozai got in trouble for fighting one of the other inmates and he's in solitary for the day.

Zuko has a day free of his mockery. He wondered when he became his father. Was it one defining moment or was it a gradual change that was so slight that he didn't know it.

He just wished his punishment would be decided already. Normally, he would have to face a trial, but Zuko had passed a treason law that authorized the Crown to dole out punishment sans trial in the event of an assassination attempt against a royal family member.

Azula could sentence him to life, having his bending taken (provided Aang agrees to do it), hard labor, pretty much anything other than death with no questions asked. If she orders death, there is a hearing, but it would be easy enough for her to win.

The only thing worse that hearing bad news is panicking over worse news. Was she trying to make him sweat? Did she forget about him?

He had no idea what was left of his life or where it was going. He just knew that he was trapped by a glass ceiling. The only way to go was down.

* * *

The situation with Suki and the Kyoshi warriors only deteriorated after their meeting. Suki started chugging a bottle of moon peach wine. She had a shift in 30 minutes and often went drunk.

She smelled like wine when she got to her shift. The girl she was replacing was concerned.

"Are you okay? Should I send someone to relieve you?"

"I'm FINE!" she snapped.

The girl reported the incident to Meng. Meng went to go check it out. "Are you drunk?"

"NOOOOOO!" she slurred.

"Why would you get drunk?"

"Why would I drink? I fell in love with a man who promised me the world, just to drop me like a sack of bricks because I couldn't deliver him a firebender. My husband left me. He took OUR son, who calls that circus freak Mommy! I'll never love again!" she sobbed.

Meng was in pain just watching this, but she knew Suki had to break down to get built back up.

She hugged her friend. "We're going to get you some help."

The girls unanimously voted to send Suki to rehab. "We're not kicking you out permanently. You just need to heal. You're been carrying this pain for too long."

She was too broken to fuss about it. She was going to the clinic in Gaoling. Two girls went with her to make sure she got there.

* * *

In the weeks that followed the family vacation, Ursa started to feel stronger each day. She knew she could make it through. It would always hurt, but she had to accept that some things were out of her hands and enjoy life's simple pleasures while she could.

She decided she wanted to spend some quality time with both of her daughters and the three women went out to dinner, their first mother/daughters event ever.

They went to the Turtle Duck Palace.

"I can't believe the portions are so large," Ursa said.

"This is a family style restaurant," Kiyi said.

"Then why did we get three different entrees?"

"Because we couldn't agree on one," Azula said dryly. "I'm sure Haru will demolish the leftovers anyway. He's like a bottomless pit."

"Worse than Sokka?" Kiyi asked.

"Not quite, but he is in the same range."

"I bet Hiro's going to be the same way," Ursa said. "And Lu Ten. The men in our family could always eat so much."

"My wrists are thankful that I don't do all of their cooking anymore."

"What would you make?" her mother asked her.

"They love ramen. I'd make the noodles at least once a week, usually twice in the winter."

"You didn't have a machine."

"Nope. They don't sell such fancy things in nameless towns."

"Your town had no name."

"If it did, I didn't remember. I just called it that village near Omashu."

Kiyi snickered. "Even Hira'a had a name."

"What kind of town has an apostrophe in its name?"

Ursa shrugged. "I don't know why it's spelled like that."

"Maybe my fifth child will have an apostrophe in her name."

"You're pregnant?"

"Not yet, but Haru wants to have more kids."

"Do you?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to it, but not right now. I'm much too busy."

"I can't imagine having four kids," Kiyi said. "Maybe one or two, but four."

"We planned on two, and then said, why not one more and then Lu Ten surprised us."

"I think it's nice we have so many kids in the palace," Ursa said.

"You're just anxious that Kiyi's growing up aren't you," Azula teased.

"No," she insisted.

"Before you know it, she's going to have a boyfriend and …"

"No boys!"

"Hey!" Kiyi complained.

"Oh, get ready for some terrible school dances and slobbery kisses," Azula teased.

"EW!"

"When was your first kiss?" Ursa asked her older daughter.

Azula laughed. "I was thirteen."

"Was he good?" Kiyi asked.

"Ty Lee was just fine."

"Ty Lee!" Ursa exclaimed.

Kiyi started bursting out in laughter.

"Everyone else had been kissed, and I wanted to know what the fuss was about so I told her to kiss me. She did."

"Did you order her into kissing you?"

"Define order?"

* * *

After their dinner, they went to see a play. "Something tells me this is going to suck," Kiyi said.

"As long as it's not Love Amongst the Dragons."

"I refuse to see that play," Kiyi retorted, having heard her parents' love story too many times.

When they got to the playhouse, they found out "The Crown" was playing.

"What is this?" Azula questioned.

"I forgot. They wrote a play about you when they thought you died." Ursa had donated Azula's diaries to Capital City's College of Arts and Sciences and the theatre department wanted to do a play based on the Princess. Ursa had authorized it.

"About me?"

"Yeah. I guess they had to change the ending."

It was a two-part play, the first part playing tonight. Azula couldn't believe she was going to watch a play about herself, with her mother. Awkward!

They sat in the royal box.

Azula ordered a bottle of wine; she knew she would need it.

The curtain's opened. A woman was giving birth, a nurse holding a toddler and a man was there, pacing back and forth.

"Stop doing that, you're making me dizzy!"

"I just …" Need for this baby to be a firebender, and a damn good one.

"We won't know if he's a firebender until he gets here." The doctor said he might not be.

The doctor came in. "It's time. I need you to push."

She cries out, and a baby is born.

The actor playing Ozai stared at the doctor.

"She's a beautiful baby girl."

"And…" he demanded to know.

"Oh, she's a firebender all right."

Only then, did Ozai hold her. "I will name her, Azula."

The curtain closes.

A five year old is seen trying to firebend.

"I can't get it," he pouted.

An older man came out, Iroh. "Patience Zuko. You have to develop your chi before you will be able to call your fire on command."

They practice some and the boy goes inside. Watching from above is a three year old little girl. She tries and she gets it, a little blue flame.

"Mommy, Daddy look what I can do."

She shows them her fire.

Ursa looks confused. "Why is it blue?"

Ozai grins. "She must be a prodigy."

"What's prodigy?"

A jealous Zuko looks on as Ozai turns his attention to Azula. A rivalry has been born.

Azula comes out at five years old and begins training with her father. He praises her as she learns her katas. Zuko anxiously watches with his mother.

"How come she gets to train with Dad?"

"You will have your turn," Ursa promised him.

"It's not fair. He doesn't notice me anymore."

* * *

As Azula watches the play, she starts to reconsider her relationship with her brother. She used to look up to him. When she was just learning to firebend, she thought she would get to practice with her brother. She didn't know she would be replacing him. She didn't know it would tear her family apart.

Ursa and Ozai argue about his preferential treatment.

"When he can control his flame, I will train him. Until then, I don't want to hear any of his whining."

Ursa grabs his hand, trying to continue the conversation.

Ozai shoves her into a wall.

Neither Kiyi nor Azula knew of the abuse Ursa suffered at Ozai's hand, but it wasn't surprising.

The next scene shows Azula at seven years old. She performs for her grandfather who is impressed with her progress.

"She is most advanced for her age."

"That's nothing." Ozai tells Azula to do a complicated move. She couldn't do it.

"Maybe next time," Azulon left.

Ozai was furious. "You got it right yesterday."

"I tripped."

"I will not tolerate failure."

Azula turned around, lifting her shirt and he burned her back with his hand

"Next time, get it right."

"Yes father."

Lu Ten goes to see if his cousin wants to go play and finds her in the doctor's office.

"Who did this to you?"

"It was a training accident."

"Shaped like a hand?"

Lu Ten confronts Ozai. Ozai hits him, but Lu Ten counters, bloodying his uncle's nose.

"You little brat!"

"I'm not afraid of you."

It felt like a lifetime ago when Azula and Lu Ten were close. She missed her cousin.

The next scene they show is with Zuko and Ursa. Azula jealously watches as they play in the garden. She burns a flower. When Zuko tells on her, she is sent upstairs without any dinner. She burns him for snitching, only to get punished by her mother again.

Lu Ten and Iroh go off to war, leaving no one to isolate her from Ozai. She starts to get meaner, lashing out at her brother and her mother.

The pursuit of perfection starts taking its toll on her. She trains before school and after it, afraid of making even the slightest of mistakes. Her friends watch in confusion.

"Why is she so obsessed?" Ty Lee asks Mai.

"I don't know."

The Palace receives word of Lu Ten's death and Iroh's abandoning the siege.

Ozai makes his play for the crown. In the play, he poisons Ozai and Ursa takes the fall. She leaves overnight.

Ozai takes the crown, and Azula is the Crown Princess.

"You are one step closer to being Fire Lord," he promises his daughter.

"What about Zuko?"

"He'll screw up, guaranteed."

* * *

Azula and Zuko's rivalry only grows. She becomes a firebending master first and Ozai rewards her handsomely, with her own palanquin.

Zuko bitterly talks to his uncle about her.

"There's more to life than being the best firebender," he tries to explain, but Zuko doesn't get it. Only winning matters.

Azula learns to throw lightening at 12. She closes her eyes and opens them again showing perfect form as a bolt clears the sky.

Ozai watches proudly. "She's just where I need her."

Two weeks later, Zuko gets banished. After he and Iroh depart, Ozai says to himself, with him out of the way, Azula will take the Crown.

Azula never thought about the timing. He banned Zuko, not for what he said but to clear a spot for Azula.

The curtain closed and there was thunderous applause.

**Intermission.**

Azula and Ursa had downed the bottle, neither of them comfortable with the new revelations. Ursa didn't know Ozai used to burn her. What kind of mother didn't know?

Kiyi is very glad she's not a princess right now.

**Act II**

Azula graduates the royal academy with her best friends. Ty Lee runs away and Mai has to move. Azula is left alone with her father.

He starts training her to kill.

"This is how you aim for the heart."

* * *

A year later, she is sent to arrest her uncle and brother. When she fails, she recruits Ty Lee, using coercion.

Fear and intimidation are the only way to get loyalty.

She gets Mai too and the story continues. They skip over the war scenes without Zuko. The focus is the crown, not the war.

They show Azula getting her brother to join her when she takes Ba Sing Se.

They show the family vacation where Azula is mad that she is being kept out of important war meetings. They show the bonfire where the friends talked out their issues, but not the party or the later trashing.

Zuko defects while Azula is protecting the throne.

Next is the skirmish at Boiling Rock. Azula hated this scene. They portrayed it quite accurately, which is why she hated it.

Azula started drinking heavily after losing her two best friends.

Then, Ozai abandons her to burn down the Earth Kingdom.

Sozin's Comet comes and she starts hallucinating. She bans everyone from the palace only to lose complete control in her agni kai.

They show Zuko's Coronation and her in a cell while it goes on.

Zuko demands to know where his mother is. Ozai won't tell him, but Azula gets the letters.

"This is the only trump card she has," Ozai says to himself while he sits in jail. "I hope she uses it wisely."

Then, the search for Ursa begins. Azula is taken along, and after fighting with her mother, she takes off.

The play ends. Part II will be in four months.

* * *

The crowd complains. Now, they have to know what happens.

"So that was an interesting choice," Kiyi said as they got ready to leave. What do you say at this point?

"I didn't realize," Ursa started …

"How realistic it would be," Azula offered.

"Yeah, although I shouldn't be surprised. They did a lot of interviews."

Azula had to admit, "the woman who played me was impressive. She got my stride pretty well."

She had done such a good job that people asked Azula for autographs, thinking she was the actress.

When she signed Fire Lord Azula, the man was confused. "You're signing your character's name?"

Azula produced a small blue flame.

"Oh, forgive me my Lord."

Azula did want to talk to the actress, but not today. She had a lot of thinking to do today.

They took a carriage back to the palace. They didn't speak much. Ursa hoped this wasn't the last daughter day.

"We should do it again, although maybe not a play," Azula said as she retired to her bedroom.

"Why did you marry such a nasty man?" Kiyi asked her mother.

"He didn't exactly present himself that way. I thought he was nice, albeit very direct. It wasn't until my wedding, when he told me not to contact anyone from my past anymore, that I got scared of him." Before, she had only been intimidated by Azulon.

"Well, I'm glad he's not my dad."

Kiyi went to bed. Her sister's antics were starting to make sense.

* * *

Azula gave Haru the leftover food.

"I was just about to get a snack. How was it?"

"It was enjoyable. We saw a play, about me."

"Someone did a play about you?"

"It's called the Crown and this is just part one."

"Two plays about you. Was it good?"

"It was very good. I'm not so sure on how I feel about the world knowing about my life in such detail."

Azula thought it made her look like a little girl who had become a monster.

What she didn't realize was the play humanized her. It showed how she had gotten to that point. Most people knew of her misdeeds. Few knew of how she got to be that way.


	11. Brothers

The next day, Azula went to visit her father.

"Fire Lord Azula, what a lovely surprise."

"They wrote a play about me."

"Who?"

"The College wrote it, but it's being performed by the Capital City Playhouse."

"All good things I'm sure."

"It's actually quite an accurate representation of my life from my birth until I ran away."

"So you'll be cancelling it."

"Why would I do that?"

"Surely you don't want your flaws on display for the country to see."

"They're already out there. If I cancel it now, I just look like I got my ego bruised."

"Isn't your ego bruised?"

"Should it be?"

"Why are you here?"

"Why did you banish Zuko?"

"What? Why do you care about that now?"

"I don't know."

"I wanted him out of the way, so you could rule instead."

"How did they know that?"

"Who?"

"The people who wrote the play. They knew that. I didn't even know that."

Ozai chuckled. "Now I remember. Back when I thought you were dead, some guy came to interview me. I figured if I talked to them, I'd get a bigger part in the play. Is the actor who plays me handsome?"

Azula rolled her eyes. Why did she come here? "I saw the play with mother."

He cackled. "Oh she must have loved it."

"They said you killed Azulon in the play."

"Those lying bastards."

"I guess you didn't impress them so much after all," Azula said as she left.

Azula wasn't sure why she cared, but it seemed to matter that Zuko was punished to get him out of the way instead of his actions actually being offensive. She needed to talk to someone who could actually help her.

Dear Uncle Iroh,

I am not sure what to do with Zuko. Since he passed a treason bill that covers his own conduct, his punishment is solely in my hands. I have already taken capital punishment off the table, since that would be unfair to Ursa II, but I don't know what else is left.

Do I just say life sentence and forget about him? Do I offer him parole if he gives up his firebending? Banishment?

I haven't even stripped his title yet because I'm not sure if I should. Mai would lose her title too, but she may divorce him in which case, that won't matter anymore.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Azula

Iroh was relieved that Azula decided not to take her brother's head. He thought life imprisonment would be generous, but Azula seemed to be considering leniency. Iroh thought this was good so long as she wasn't underestimating any threat that he might still pose. He needed to know more of her reasoning.

Dear Azula,

I am not sure what you should do with your brother either, but you should consider the following things. Punishment can be used to satisfy multiple goals: rehabilitation, just desserts, deterrence, and community protection are the four that come to mind. You have to think about what you want Zuko's sentence to accomplish.

Do you think he can change? Do you think he needs to get what's coming to him? Do you think he will always be a threat to your safety? How likely is his punishment going to influence whether another tries to harm the crown in the future? These are the questions you have to ask yourself before you can decide what to do.

Some of these factors may mean more to you than the others.

You are wise to be making this decision carefully as it is a most difficult one. How long do you have before you have to decide?

Iroh

* * *

Sokka and Ty Lee arrived in the Southern Water Tribe after staying at Katara's for a week. She said they could stay longer, but Sokka and Ty Lee weren't sure if they could handle being there any longer.

"Your sister is loud," Ty Lee told him.

"Don't remind me."

"I meant generally, but that too."

"I miss the thick walls of the palace."

They got home and Hakoda was excited to see snow again. He quickly made snowballs and started to throw them.

Ty Lee was amazed at how pretty it was here. "This is so beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. It always looks like this."

They got their stuff into his house and he took her to meet his Gran Gran.

"This is my fiancée, Ty Lee."

"Isn't she lovely?" Kanna hugged her. "Tell me about the proposal."

While the adults talked, Hakoda went to find the other children.

"This is a lovely ring," Kanna told her soon to be granddaughter.

"It's perfect."

"Tell me about yourself."

Ty Lee explained her upbringing in the Fire Nation, her tour with the Kyoshi Warriors and what happened since she got custody of Rei and Hiro.

"You've been a busy one, all over the world. It must have been fascinating."

"Oh it's been great, but I'm looking forward to settling down."

Ty Lee liked where her life was going. That evening, she met Hakoda. She had seen him around, but she had never really talked to him or Pakku.

She had sea prune stew for the first time and didn't spit it back out.

"That might be a record," Hakoda teased. "Outsiders usually hate it."

"It's not as bad as Mai trying to cook," she retorted.

"When was that?"

"During the war. Azula swore Mai was trying to kill her and threw the soup at her head."

Sokka's jaw dropped. "Did I miss all of the fun antics?"

"Oh yeah. Between Azula's demands for perfection and Mai's blasé responses, it was really something."

Ty Lee thought an early summer wedding would be nice. "It would give us enough time to get everything ready and to write invitations. She would need to give her family and friends enough lead time to get to the tribe."

"Do you want to get married here?" Sokka asked her.

"Not in this spot," she teased.

"How about the hall?"

"I would like that."

**March 109 AG**

Zuko was in his cell, still unsure of his fate when he saw a familiar face.

"Aang?"

This was the first time the Avatar confronted him since the truth came out. He didn't have any words before.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know. It's mostly up to Azula now."

"Mostly?"

"She hasn't asked me to take your bending yet. I haven't decided whether or not I'll do it either."

"Would you give me a second chance?"

"How many second chances can I give you?" Aang believed in redemption, but almost ten years later, Zuko was back to his old ways.

"It doesn't get much lower than this. My bending is all I have left at this point."

"You still don't get it. You have a wife and a daughter. They are something. They should be everything, but instead all you cared was power. Because of it, you ruined yourself."

Aang left. Ozai had a parting shot. "Do you still believe in second chances? I never got one."

The disgruntled avatar was confused as to what he should do. Azula requested that he come to the palace, so they could discuss his fate. He decided to go now before he got even busier.

Katara brought Bumi and stayed at the palace, while Aang went to see Zuko. She thought if she went to the prison, she might hurt Zuko for his betrayal.

She had been the last to trust him. She had been the most hurt when he proved to be sinister. "He saved my life," she had cried, remembering that fateful agni kai, "but then he tried to do the same thing to her, all over a stupid crown."

Bumi was playing follow the leader with the Ursa II, Hiro and Rei.

Meanwhile, his mother was having tea with Mai.

"How have you been?" Katara asked her. The girl must be devastated.

"Okay. I have my good days and my not so good days." Sometimes Mai wakes up and expects Zuko to be there, just to remember why he's not.

"If you and Ursa ever want to visit, you're always welcome at the temple."

"Thank you," Mai said sincerely. Maybe she did need to leave the palace more. "Azula did make me go on vacation, so I am not always here."

"Where did you go?"

"She took everyone to Ember Island. It was a hot mess, but it was still fun."

"Was this when Sokka was here?"

"He didn't tell you. He proposed to Ty Lee there."

"That was during a royal family vacation?" He just talked about them being on the beach, not everyone and their mother being there. "I wasn't there, but everyone else was." She was pissed.

"We didn't see the proposal either."

"But you knew like five seconds later and I find out like a week later." It had actually been three days.

"I thought you knew."

"That butt face."

While Katara complained about her brother always leaving her out of the loop, Azula discussed the fate of her own brother with the Avatar.

"Have you decided what you are charging him with?"

"High treason, two counts." She could have gone for a murder charge for the hitman, but that would be hard to prove. She only had the word of one guard who was told to ditch the body. "I don't need to try him, given the new treason statute he passed. His sentence is in my hands."

Ironic. "What are the possible sentences?"

"Everything from probation to life without parole. I'm not hanging him. He's still my brother, and it wouldn't be fair to his daughter."

That was a wide range of possibilities. "Has he shown any remorse?"

"Not to me. I think he's still mad he got caught in Ozai's web, but I'd like to think that someday he could redeem himself."

Possible parole. "What about his bending?"

This was the hardest part for Azula. Even at her worst, he never tried to take her bending, not that she knew of anyway. "I can think of two reasons to take it, to discourage him from trying to start a coup and to prevent him from hurting someone with it, but I don't know how applicable those are if he stays in prison."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean from prison, he will have trouble hurting anyone he would want to harm, other than Ozai, and he will have a hard time launching a coup."

"So let him keep his bending if he's in prison. What happens when he leaves?"

"Maybe after some time, I give him the choice, keep your bending and finish your sentence or lose it and you can leave." He could still try to kill her with a sword or poison, but he would not be able to sit on the throne again. Maybe she should consider banishment. "Is energybending reversible?"

"I don't know how to reverse it, but I assume it is."

"What do you think of a probationary period? Like he can leave prison without his bending and if he stays out of trouble for his probation, he can get it back." If not, then it stays gone.

Aang pursed his lips as he contemplated it. "It could be feasible." Then he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't ask me to give Ozai his bending back."

Azula scoffed. "No. It's been almost ten years, and he hasn't learned anything. I don't think he wants to change. He'd rather muse about his glory days and annoy people."

Aang still hadn't decided if he would take Zuko's bending. What Azula was offering sounded fair when she could just lock him up and forget about him, but it was still stealing apart of Zuko's soul. Would it be better to keep him locked up with his bending? "If you had been given a choice to leave prison without your bending or to stay in prison with your bending, what would you have chosen."

Azula frowned. "Since I was insane, I would have probably opted to stay in prison and then tried to break out."

Aang frowned. "I suppose. What would you choose now?"

"If I knew that I could have a good marriage and my children, I'd say goodbye to my bending, but that wasn't enough for Zuko before. I don't know what it will take for him to appreciate a life without the throne now."

For at least half of Azula's life, she defined herself by her bending abilities, and even she would take freedom over being a firebender.

"I want to see how Zuko does before I decide on whether I will take his bending."

"Me too." Something about the play compelled Azula to want to give her brother a second chance. Maybe that was dumb of her.

* * *

After their meeting, Azula went to look in on the children. It wasn't that long ago that she would be inside the kitchen, making ramen while her two children played outside. Now, she had four children and a crown on her head. She wondered what it was about the crown that made it so easy to kill to get it. Putting aside her own family drama, Fire Lords have taken the crowns from their predecessors in agni kais for centuries.

The first Fire Lord got the job by killing everyone who protested his rule. She found herself with a role she had been once willing to kill for and she struggled to understand what about it was worth such a heinous act and how she would have gotten through the role alone. She would have been alone if she had killed Zuko. Iroh would have never tried to work with her nor would Ursa have come home. She would be down her two best friends and never would have fallen in love with Haru. She would be alone on the Crown. It would have been miserable. Would Zuko have taken such a deal? What if he had killed me and Rei and Mai left him, taking Ursa II with him? Would it have been worth it if he didn't get caught, even if he lost everything else?

She stopped thinking about her brother when she saw her daughter and her son running in the garden. Bumi II was chasing them and little Ursa was chasing him. Haru was outside with them and Mai was with Ursa. Azula joined her husband.

"Escape from work."

"For a little while."

"I bet we could get Mai to watch the kids and …"

"Not so fast. We can do that tonight."

"But that's not now."

"No, it isn't." Azula kissed him chastely.

"Why don't we take the kids into the city tomorrow? We haven't explored Capital City much."

"Good idea. We can go to the city square, see the street performers and get comet cake."

"Tasty." Haru kissed her again. "Sure we can't …"

"Patience."

"But I'm impatient."

"I know."

That night, Azula delivered on her promise, much to Haru's delight. He held her in the afterglow, kissing her forehead as she leaned against his chest. "I love you."

Azula kissed Haru's hand. "I love you more."

She always says that "How do you know?"

"I wouldn't be here without you. Your love saved me."

"Then I love you most."

Azula slept soundly that night.

Zuko did not. He knew judgment day was coming. Aang was here, so if he was going to lose his bending, it would be soon.

The anxiety kept him up. To make it even worse, he heard Ozai snoring like a fucking baby. I guess it's easy to sleep when you've resigned yourself to never leaving.

He wondered what his daughter thought of him now. No way would Mai ever bring her to visit and even if she would, Zuko wouldn't want her to see him like this. He had wanted her to be proud of him, to look up to him, and to continue his legacy, but what was his legacy now? Zuko the fool who lost the crown to his sister by trying to kill her before she took it. Awesome!

Azula must be laughing her ass off right now. She did nothing and got the throne she had been willing to kill for. She had his throne, his family, and her past crimes were a distant memory to many. It's like his sin absolved her.

His world was darkness, and he lived in shadows. He wondered if he'd ever see the light again.

**Date Night**

Katara wanted to go on a date. She and Aang seldom had the time since he worked so much and he didn't have to leave the city for two more days.

"What do we do with Bumi?"

"He can stay with the nurses or maybe Haru will watch him." He had become the defacto babysitter.

"Actually, we're going out for family night. He's welcome to come along."

"What are you all doing?"

"Watching the street performers and getting them some type of treat. I don't know the city too well and Azula hasn't been through it in almost a decade, so we thought it would be nice to look for some of her favorite places from back in the day, see what is still open."

Aang and Katara agreed to leave Bumi with the Royal family while they went out to dinner and a show.

Azula went to see if Mai and Ursa wanted to come to family night.

"Can we go Mama?"

"I had been hoping to rest," Mai admitted.

"We can take her if you want to stay here."

"I don't want to put you out."

"She won't be any trouble."

"Be good Ursa."

"Yes Mommy," she kissed her mother's cheek before running to join her aunt.

Ursa and Ikem decided to have their own date night in the palace since so many were leaving and Kiyi was going to a friend's house.

"It's just us and the sprouts," Azula said.

"I like it that way," Haru admitted. "Not that I don't like the adults, but we can just go where we want instead of catering to everyone."

Azula agreed. They would eventually become known for being Team Avatar's babysitters, taking all of the kids in a large group. They got a carriage and took six kids with them. The children paired off by age, Rei and Ursa II, Hiro and Bumi, Ta Min and Lu Ten II stayed with their parents, in their baby carriers.

Of course, Hiro had to go potty as soon as they left. Azula told him to go in the house, but five minutes ago, he didn't have to go.

They stopped at a teashop and decided a drink and bathroom break for everyone. They squeezed into a booth and got boba for the kids. Hiro loved the bubbles. Bumi liked using them as projectiles.

Azula handed out a few coins to each child to give to his or her favorite performer. Her favorite was a harpist Haru chose the juggling trio as did Hiro. Rei of course, liked the fire-breathing group, and Bumi struggled with the concept of giving the money away. Eventually, he settled on a bearded lady because he had never seen one before.

A man in black approached Bumi, offering him some candy. The boy started to follow him until Rei threw a plume of fire at the man, scaring him away.

"Don't leave with strangers," she cautioned. "They might hurt you." She decided to take his hand for the rest of the trip. He was too little to wander around by himself, even though her parents were just a few meters away. They hadn't seen the threat. It was safer in their hometown, almost nothing happened there.

They were too distracted by Hiro who had managed to climb onto a wall behind a performer, inadvertently joining the act.

While they enjoyed the street fair, Katara and Aang enjoyed dinner at a vegetarian grill.

They grilled everything from the bread to the fruit and Katara was surprised at how good the food tasted. "I thought grilled moon peaches would be nasty, but it was surprising good."

They had gotten a grilled sampler platter to split. "I didn't think they'd have a vegetarian place here." The Fire Nation is known for its meat, roasting it, grilling it, and smoking it.

They finished their meal and made it to the playhouse. "The Crown is playing," Katara said.

There was a drawing depicting Azula and Zuko with Ozai, Ursa and Iroh in the back.

_What Would You Do for the Crown?_

"It's a two part play," Aang read under the tagline.

"Let's see if it's any good." She was surprised they were doing a play about the royal family. She hoped, for their sake, it was better than Ember Island playhouse.

"Have you seen this play before?" the couple next to them asked.

"No, is it good?"

"Oh it's great. This is our third time seeing it."

"Third?"

"I know, but the character who plays Azula is amazing. She read her old diaries and stuff." They had been donated to the local college.

"They even got the actress's brother to play Zuko," the husband added.

The lights were dimming. The show was about to begin.

While Aang and Katara experienced The Crown, the Fire Lord and Fire Man ushered the children to a restaurant. She grew tired of their running around and decided a seated activity would be best.

"Can Bumi eat meat?" Haru asked her.

"He's almost three."

"But Aang's a vegetarian."

"Let's see what he likes." Azula wasn't too worried about one serving of meat. Aang didn't say his son was a vegetarian.

They made it to a fire grill, where they cook the meat right in front of you, doing tricks as they make it.

There was a long wait, but when they saw the Fire Lord, they pushed the family to the front of the line. There were eight for a table, so they took six spots, the babies not needing their own spot. A couple joined them to finish the table.

"We'll need four kids portions," Azula told the waiter, "and two adults."

"Of course."

Azula and Rei both got unagi. Haru and Hiro both got komodo chicken. Bumi got cow pig and Ursa got the turtle duck.

First came the salads and then the soup. Hiro frowned at his salad. "There's no meat in it." Azula usually topped his salad with chicken, so he would eat it.

"The meats coming later buddy."

"Aw!" He reluctantly ate it.

Ursa was quite used to salad. Rei would eat whatever her mother ate, so she made no fuss.

Bumi didn't want his.

"I guess he's not a vegetarian," Azula said dryly. "The salad is good for you."

"Yuck."

"If you eat it, I'll let you get ice cream for dessert."

"Ice cream!"

"Eat your salad."

"Doesn't the meal come with ice cream?" Haru asked.

"Don't tell him that." Azula was trying to use subtle deception to get him to eat healthily.

The soup came next. Again, Hiro wondered where was the meat. "They don't even have dumplings in it or noodles."

"It's a clear soup. It's more for digestion I think," Haru said.

The fun part came. The chef arrived with his platter of meats, vegetables, rice, and noodles.

He set the grill top on fire, exciting the crowd as he prepared vegetable volcanoes to burn next and seasoned the meat. He did hand tricks with his spatula, tossed food into people's mouths. Haru went three for three and somehow knew Hiro and Bumi were the kids who didn't like their vegetables as much, mixing theirs in with their meat.

Ta Min was starting to eat solid food, but she mostly breastfed. Azula let her try a couple pieces of pine carrot and unagi.

Lu Ten watched the show, but couldn't eat any of the food. Azula fed him before they got there.

The couple sitting at the end of the table was in awe. They were eating with the most powerful family in the country, but they seemed so normal as the kids watched excitedly and the parents canoodled.

Haru finished his plate and then went to help his wife.

She could have finished it herself, but she had some baby weight to lose still, so she accepted the help.

She did, however, refuse to share her ice cream with him. "Mine," she said as she protected her bowl.

The kids were sleepy after eating, so it was easy to get them to the carriage and back home.

When the couple went to pay, they found out that the Fire Lord had covered the whole table.

"Now this was a good date," the husband said.

* * *

It was intermission at the playhouse. Katara had gone to the bathroom. Aang was surprised by a lot of this story. Zuko had told him about his upbringing, but it was different to see it live. It was also different to see a more Azula-centric story and to get some insight as to how manipulative Ozai had been, driving a wedge between Azula, and everyone else in her family, putting an insane amount of pressure on her to take over the world and win the Crown.

Katara came back. "This was an intense first half." She was glad they hadn't taken Bumi to this. Watching the child abuse was awful.

The second half was even more intense watching everything from Azula's joining the war to her insanity while her brother found the light and assumed the crown. He lived in the limelight while she inherited the shadows.

Katara never knew that Azula took to drinking after Boiling Rock. She had always seemed so composed before the agni kai, but she had really been unraveling for years, the showdown at the prison sealing her fate. Knowing that Azula had suffered so much, she had a lot of respect for what the Fire Lord had accomplished. She found a way to give her children a much better life than she had ever had. If she was bitter about her past, she didn't show it.

Like everyone else, Aang was disappointed when they ended the play at the good part. He wanted to see where she went after the madness.

It would be another year before part II came out.

"I guess we'll have to come back."

"This was a fun date."

He kissed her. "Yeah it was."

They made their way back to the palace. "Bumi is already asleep," a servant told them.

They made their way to bed. Bumi was in the guest room on the other side of their bathroom.

"Why don't we keep this date night going for a little while?" Katara husked in his ears.

Aang turned out the light.

* * *

Ty Lee was getting to know the women in the tribe. They would do the chores, cooking, cleaning, and laundry, while the men were at work, hunting, fishing, or building.

Most of the women had never left the tribe. Ty Lee had been almost everywhere now. "I haven't been to the Northern Water Tribe yet, but I've been to every other continent."

They asked her about the food and the men. Ty Lee laughed. "I can't say I dated that much before Sokka." She had a boyfriend in the circus, but that ended long before Azula came to get her. Her first year or two as a warrior was focusing on her work and she dated, but nothing really amounted to anything. "I guess I got sick of Fire Nation guys. They rarely interested me while I was at the palace."

"Are they all super serious?"

"Some of them, but when I went to Ember Island. They just partied all the time. They thought it made them cool. I needed more balance."

The women all helped each other, watching each other's kids, making soup when one of them was sick. It was nice to have a big family again. The warriors had felt that way at first, but things changed when they left the palace. Now, she knew why, Suki's loss and her gain.

Hakoda fit right in with the other boys. It didn't matter that he was always coming and going, travelling with his dad around the globe when most of them stayed here. At his age, it was boys vs. girls, always.

Now, it's time for a snowball fight.

* * *

In the Fire Nation, Hakoda's cousin was playing with Hiro, Haru and Ikem They were having guys' time eating milk and cookies while the girls had a tea party.

Rei was making the tea. She carefully poured each cup, one for Katara, one for Mai, one for Ursa, one for Ursa II and one for herself.

"This is a nice tea," Katara told her.

"I mixed it myself." Her mother had taught her how.

"What is it with the family and tea?" she asked.

Rei didn't know. She drank it with her mother, unaware that the rest of the family had a tea addiction.

The servants brought tea cookies and little quiches. Katara and Mai asked them about family night.

"It was great," Ursa II said. "We got to see the jugglers and the fire performers and got to go to the fire grill."

"We got boba tea," Rei added.

Katara looked at her.

"What? I like tea. It's a fairly healthy addiction."

"I don't think Bumi likes tea," Katara said, not actually sure.

"He threw the boba at people instead of eating it," Ursa II added.

Katara shook her head. "Tell me Azula stopped her."

"First Mom said 'you probably shouldn't do that.' Then, when some lady got mad, she took his cup away."

"Only probably?" Mai said dryly.

"She always says probably. You could commit murder and she'd say, 'You probably shouldn't have done that.'" Rei bit into a quiche.

"I probably shouldn't have conquered Ba Sing Se," Mai tried it out. "Doesn't work for me."

"Your inflection's wrong. 'I _probably_ shouldn't have shot the _avatar_ when I took Ba Sing Se.'" Rei did her mother's voice perfectly.

The girls started laughing.


	12. A Winter Wedding

While the family bonded, Azula ran a staff meeting. They didn't know it, but it was a test to see who would stay and who would go. She paid attention to the people who seemed defensive about Zuko's decisions and those who seemed to disagree with them. She wanted to know who didn't fit in with the current group and why. A few names stood out to her as she observed the group, and she would be following up with them later.

She finally got them out of her hair and went to check on her babies. It was time to feed Lu Ten. Ta Min had eaten earlier.

He looked up at his mother and smiled as she got ready to feed him.

"I hope you and Rei are close. My brother and I used to be best friends before we found ourselves on opposite sides of one crown. I hope you and Rei never fight like that." She kissed him and decided to take him for a walk.

She showed him the wall of Fire Lords past starting with herself. "This is your Mama."

Lu Ten had no idea what she was saying, but he knew his mother was talking to him, which made him happy.

"This is your uncle Zuko. He's my brother." He got the throne after I tried to kill him, and I got the throne after he tried to kill me.

Lu Ten had never seen this man up close, the image unfamiliar.

"This is your grandfather Ozai. He's my father, and he pitted Zuko and me against each other."

Ozai looked scary. Lu Ten whimpered.

"This is Azulon, your great-grandfather. He used to sneak me extra desserts when my parents weren't looking."

Lu Ten cooed.

"This is Sozin, your great-grandfather. He started the Hundred Years War and tried to take over the world."

Lu Ten yawned

She decided this was enough for now. "This is our bloodline. I'll tell you about the past ones another day."

She took him back to the crib, just to see Rei looking at an empty crib. "Oh there he is." Rei picked him up. "You're getting so big. I'm not going to be able to pick you up." She kissed his forehead.

"Want to burp him?"

Rei sat down with him, and Azula told her where to touch his back. She loved all of her children equally, but it was extra special to have her firebenders together. Her other children wouldn't have to deal with the wrath of the crown. They wouldn't be at risk to its temptation.

Ta Min started to cry. Her mother scooped her up. "Are you hungry again?"Haru must love this, Azula thought to herself as she fed her baby. Her boobs were always 1-2 cup sizes bigger when she was either pregnant or breastfeeding. No wonder I'm always pregnant.

* * *

Aang had gone to visit Zuko again.

Zuko feared the worst. He shivered in the corner.

"I'm not going to take your bending any time soon."

Zuko cringed at soon. "What does that mean?"

"It means Azula hasn't decided if she's going to ask me to yet. She wants to see if you can redeem yourself before she decides."

Redemption. "What does that even mean?"

"You have to find something worth living for other than the Crown. Azula learned to let it go. You have to learn to do the same."

"In here?"

"This isn't about where you are. It's about what you did to get you here, and what you took for granted along the way."

"Azula was born lucky," he hissed to himself.

"No she wasn't," Aang told him. "You had a lot of hardships. So did she."

Zuko glared. "She was always his favorite."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Ozai ignored you, but he demanded perfection from her, burning her for every mistake."

"Last time I checked, she had all of her face."

"He used to burn her where people couldn't see them. The only thing worse than everyone knowing was no one knowing."

Aang left Zuko with that thought.

The ex-Fire Lord only groaned in anguish.

* * *

Suki had been in her treatment program for 30 days at this point. It was her first milestone, and she got a token to commemorate it.

"The hardest part is over," her counselor told her.

"I'm not so sure about that." The physical withdrawals were gone, but Suki had to confront everything that led up to that point.

Over the next few sessions, she explained how her life fell apart. "I thought that I loved him," Suki said of Zuko. "He was so sweet to me and so kind. His marriage was falling apart, so I thought. He said he wished we could be together. I knew it was wrong, but it felt so right."

When she got pregnant, she was terrified that he would leave her and deny it was his. When he said he wanted to her to keep it, and he would help her, she thought there was hope that she could leave Sokka, he would leave Mai and they would be together.

"When I told him I thought I was having a firebender, he was ecstatic. He said that he would teach our child, so he could stay close, and it wouldn't be suspicious. He would have one of the guards claim paternity if need be. I was sure that he would pick me over Mai if I had a son, and I did have a son, a beautiful son, but he was Sokka's somehow.

The fevers had been a false alarm. Zuko disappeared after that. He said I should try to work it out with Sokka since we have a son now.

I tried, but Sokka just ignored me. He would come home, scoop up his son and I was an after thought. After almost two years, I couldn't take it, and I left him. I thought Hakoda II and I could start over, but Sokka wanted custody and he sued me for it. I asked Zuko if he could help me pay for counsel, but I got no response.

I lost the case and now my own son doesn't even know me anymore. Sokka's dating a former friend of mine and he calls her mommy now."

Suki went from everything to nothing, or so she felt. The counselor had a different point of you.

"Try looking at this with a different perspective. Before, you had one husband but you wanted another. You had one son, but you hoped for a different one. Trying to get something that wasn't yours ended badly, but now you have a second chance.

Your son has a father who loves him, despite the stress that his questionable paternity put on your marriage. Hopefully, Sokka is raising Hakoda with a woman who wants to stay with him, and your son has the stability that he would have lacked if you and Sokka stayed together.

You told me you never really liked living in the tribe, but you would have had to live there permanently when Sokka became chief. You tried to sign up for his life because the one you wanted wasn't available. Now, you have a chance to find what makes you happy.

I'm not saying you'll never reconcile with your son, but right now, you should work on being the best Suki that you can be, and when the time is right, you can explain why you weren't there. He's a little young now, but someday you should write to him. He will want to know what happened to you."

The Wedding

Invitations went out to people of every nation for what would be an unprecedented wedding. Seldom did tribesman divorce and remarry and they almost exclusively married from within the water tribes.

Ty Lee would be the first noblewoman to marry into the tribe in a very long time, the first Fire Nation noble well, ever.

Her friends were coming from around the world and most of them had never seen the Southern Water Tribe before.

Ty Lee's sisters were meeting at the dock before going to the southern water tribe as a group. She was the last of them to be married. Some of her sisters already had children, but given the climate, they were leaving their husbands and children at home.

"She's finally getting married," one of them said.

"To a peasant!"

"A handsome peasant."

"Do all tribesman have big …?"

While they gossiped about their sister's marriage, Ty Lee's surrogate sisters made it onto a different boat headed for the tribe.

The ex-warriors that Ty Lee had worked with were excited for their reunion with the giddy acrobat. "She and Sokka are going to have good looking children," one of them remarked.

"Has anyone heard from Suki recently?"

None of them had seen her since she went into treatment. They were told she couldn't have visitors during the program, since she had to learn to confront her own issues before she could have healthy relationships with her friends and family.

"She got out of her 90 day program and is some kind of supportive housing," one of them said. Suki had sent a letter, apologizing for not really being there as a leader or as a friend by the end of her tenure.

"Can we visit her there?"

"We should send a letter first and see if she's up for visitors. Surely, she wouldn't be at the wedding."

Azula was struggling to get her family aboard the skyship. They were so difficult. Ursa II was afraid of heights.

Kiyi didn't want to go to the middle of nowhere when summer was just beginning. "All of my friends are having beach parties right now!"

"There will be beach parties all summer," her mother told her.

Azula got sick of her arguing. "If you don't get on the boat, I will be your chaperone at them, and I will embarrass you in front of your friends, all summer."

"You suck!" Kiyi ran on board.

Ursa frowned at her.

"What? It got her on the boat."

Haru got Rei and Hiro settled and then went back for Ursa II. "I know you've never been on a skyship before, but they're safe. I took one to get here and I was just fine."

"What if it crashes or breaks down?"

"Then I will use my earthbending to get us onto land. I can fly with it you know."

"You cannot!"

Haru picked her up and launched the dirt underneath him into the air,

She squealed in delight as he landed on the ground with ease.

"You'll be just fine."

She got on the ship and they were finally ready to take off.

They decided to leave Lu Ten and Ta Min at the palace in case it was too cold for them.

Mai was the maid of honor and was tasked with trying to figure out how to make a flower arrangement survive in the Southern Water Tribe.

She got the flowers on board and then said, "I'm sleeping until we get there."

* * *

Toph, Satoru and Lin took a sky ship together. Toph hated them, but she hated boats even more.

"I hate being blind up here."

"You're blind everywhere," her husband teased.

"You suck."

"I thought that was your job."

She smacked his butt. "Cow Pig."

He kissed her forehead. "I love you, and I'll be your eyes."

Lin was luckily sleeping through Satoru's attempt to distract Toph from her hatred of the sky ship.

Katara was already at the tribe, barking orders left and right, trying to make sure everything was perfect.

"Calm down," Sokka said. It's not like this was his first wedding.

"This will hopefully be your last wedding. I want to get it right." She turned to the men setting up the benches. "To the left…. Your other left."

Aang was making waterbending sculptures. Bumi was playing with Hakoda II while Ty Lee made some tea and was trying to relax.

"I can't believe so many people rsvp'd," she told Gran Gran.

"I know; we seldom get nobility, much less royalty."

Arnook was the only royalty who ever showed up and even that wasn't very often.

* * *

That afternoon, a ship with a Fire Nation insignia lowered itself so that it could land on the water, allowing its passengers to get onto the dock.

Most of the tribe had never seen a sky ship before and it was exquisite.

Hiro ran off the boat, ready to go find his friends. Rei was right on his tail. Ursa was kissing the dock until her mother pulled her away from the wood. Kiyi looked around. It was pretty, even if there was no beach.

Ursa and Ikem stayed on board. Ikem had gotten airsick.

Azula and Haru looked around. "How does anyone find their way in this?" Haru wondered. Everything looked the same and there was very little earth to for him to use his bending to direct him.

"They probably describe everything in relation to one focal point, like that big hall in the middle of the tribe."

Azula was unsure of where exactly Ty Lee lived. She described it in her letter, but Azula swore it all looked the same to her.

The servants moved the royal family's belongings from the sky ship to the ship that had sailed to meet them there. They would be staying aboard on it as supposed to trying to build an igloo. Azula had managed with humble livings before but she did not dare attempt it with all of her family.

Katara appeared. "Mai what's the situation with the flowers."

"Way to greet your visitors," Azula said dryly.

Katara rolled her eyes. "That's my brother's job. It's his wedding." She beelined for the flowers, wanting to keep them pristine for tomorrow's ceremony.

Azula and Mai followed her into the tribe and Azula was able to recognize her friend's voice.

"ZULA!" Ty Lee ran and hugged her. "You made it."

"Barely. My family's crazy."

"Azula, this is Gran Gran."

"Gran Gran, this is Azula."

"I never met a Fire Lord before. Well I met your brother when he tried to hold me hostage but …"

"What?"

"It was when Aang tripped a light beam and Zuko was looking for him."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard wonderful things.

The kids were having a snowball fight, boys vs. girls, which put the girls at a numbers disadvantage, but Rei had her firebending.

"No fair. I can't earthbend here!"

"Too bad!"

Once Mai escaped Katara, she snuck out while the waterbender's back was turned, she made her way to Gran Gran's house.

"MAI!" Ty Lee hugged her tightly.

"You're going to break my ribs."

"I'm so happy you're here."

"I'd be a pretty bad maid of honor if I stayed home."

"Who is the best man?" Azula asked. Zuko had been for the first wedding, ironically, and he clearly wouldn't be now.

"Toph!" She would have been the best man the first time if she and Sokka hadn't had a falling out before the wedding. The earthbender could sense that something was off with Sokka and Suki before the wedding and when she mentioned it to him, he flipped out. They argued. He accused her of being a bad friend and she said a bad friend would say nothing while he married the wrong woman because he didn't want to be alone.

"Aw, Mai and Toph are going to have a dance together."

"Oh shut up!"

"Maybe she'll let you cop a feel," Ty Lee teased.

"We wouldn't want to upset Mai's boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"You've just been writing to him for four months," Azula said with a sly grin.

"Four months! What have you put in these letters?" Ty Lee questioned

"None of your business."

"Are they salacious?" Azula continued.

"I bet they're romantic. Oh, Mai, I can't wait to hold you in my arms!"

The two friends made kissing faces, mortifying Mai as she wondered if she should have fled Katara.

"There you are! There's so much to do." Katara dragged her away, poor girl.

* * *

Kiyi was wandering around the tribe when she saw some kids that looked to be about her age huddled in a corner.

"What are you all up to?"

She clearly wasn't from around there. They all knew each other.

"Just hanging out," they said. They were drinking. "Here for the wedding?"

"Yeah, my sister is a good friend of the couple. I'm Kiyi."

"Koto," one boy said.

"Hestia," said the girl.

"Kazo," said the other boy.

"Want a drink?" the girl offered.

This might be fun after all.

When Ikem could get off the sky ship, he did and the sky ship took off. He went to their regular ship and decided to nap. Ursa wanted to meet people before it got dark and headed off the boat.

A boy pointed her to Gran Gran's house and she headed over to see her with Azula and Ty Lee drinking tea as the kids play wrestled each other.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ursa questioned.

"Nah, Katara will heal them," Azula went back to her tea.

Ty Lee shook her head. "They go by size, so that they are evenly matched."

Just then Bumi tackled Hakoda II into the snow.

"Good one," Hakoda said to his grandson as he came into the house.

Ty Lee made the introductions although Hakoda knew some of them.

Ursa saw a strong family resemblance. "Your grandsons look just like you."

He was so happy to have two of them, but he secretly hoped for a granddaughter that he could spoil.

"And they're so close. I hope it stays that way."

It was Bumi and Hakoda v. Hiro and Ursa II in a tag team wrestling match. They didn't quite understand tag teams and everyone fell on everyone else. End result, it was completely adorable.

Kanna asked if they were staying for dinner.

"All of us, that would be too much of an intrusion. We can eat on the ship."

"How many of you are there?"

1 husband + 2 children+1 niece + 1 sister in law + 1 sister + 1+ mother + 1 stepfather= "Including me there are nine of us."

She was glad Azula refused the invitation. "I don't think I could fit you all in here."

"You don't want to try."

Azula got her kids back to the ship, so they could have dinner there. They were all bundled up, even though Rei insisted she wasn't cold.

"I'm not cold either," her mother retorted, "but we don't want to stand out unnecessarily."

Hiro needed the protection.

Haru had been with Sokka, learning about what the men do at the tribe. He had been observing how they build their weapons. He had been more of a transportation guy, but any building project could get his attention.

"This is all fascinating." He never thought about how they make their own weapons down here. He had to admit that he didn't think they were so advanced technologically speaking. He only had one final question. "What do y'all do for booze?"

"We have sea prune vodka, which gets job done, but isn't so nice on the palate. I have to admit, the Fire Nation fares much better with booze as does the Earth Kingdom."

"You don't have many options when it comes to fermentation. What is a sea prune?"

* * *

Aang came back to the tribe for dinner. He packed some tofu so he could survive the trip. When the only non-meat food they have is a sea prune, it was wise for any vegetarian to pack food.

"Where's Katara?"

Probably still driving everyone mad. "Still working on the wedding."

"She's kind of lost it," Ty Lee admitted. She's just happy to be married, so it was fine with her if Katara went a bit overboard with the help.

Aang thought for a minute and then he knew why.

The others returned, and they had dinner.

"It must be nice to see so many familiar faces," Hakoda said to Ty Lee.

"Oh it is. I wasn't sure how Azula would get her family here, but she did, mostly."

"Who isn't here?" Kanna thought they were a huge family already.

"Her two infants are at the palace, and her uncle is on the way, but he's leaving from Ba Sing Se."

"She has four kids?" Most people in the tribe have one or two. They might have more if an earlier child perished.

"Yeah, I don't know how she and Haru do it."

"Not to mention running the country," Pakku commented.

Azula wondered how she was going to survive this wedding, given her family's antics. Kiyi was drunk. Ursa confronted her just to get lip service. Ikem didn't do anything, until Kiyi called her mother a rhymes with itch and Ikem said she was grounded.

"How are you going to ground me? I'm trapped in a blizzard."

"I will make you sleep outside in an igloo," Azula threatened, "if you don't behave yourself. Go get some water and eat some bread and then go to your room to sleep it off. I think you're done for the night."

Kiyi stormed off, with the water and bread.

Azula knew these years were tough, but at least she had her family. Azula just had Ozai.

"I don't know what's gotten into her?" Ursa commented.

"Teenage rebellion?" Haru posited.

Azula thought there might be something else, but she wasn't quite sure yet. "It will be better in the morning."

"She'll be hungover."

"Exactly. She'll face consequences for her actions and will have a chance to think."

The rest of the family finished the meal of cow pig daishi and rice and then put the children in bed.

The following morning was quite the frenzy. Daylight had only broken about an hour before Ty Lee's sisters descended on the tribe, confusing everyone with their identical features and similar clothing. They rushed to find their sister. To make it even more confusing, all of their names started with T.

"Tori, Tali, Tasha, Ta Mina, Taryn and Tina. You all made it."

They all started asking her various questions about her fiancée, her stepson and her life in the tribe.

Sokka had just left for work.

Hakoda II was still sleeping.

While Ty Lee was managing her sisters, Azula was trying to manage a hungover Kiyi who was somehow more difficult than a sober one.

"This is why you shouldn't get drunk," Ursa told her.

"Who asked you?"

They started name-calling and finger pointing

The Fire Lord threatened to put them both on time out.

"I'm your mother."

"And this is my boat."

Haru was getting breakfast ready for the kids.

Kiyi objected to the smell of pretty much everything. Azula gave her some spicy orange juice and told her to rest.

"This tastes weird."

"Well it will help with your hangover so just chug it."

* * *

Katara's wedding planning got derailed by the six siblings who said, "Together we've made it through six of these. Relax we got it."

She tried to object but Aang led her away. "Let's go for a stroll."

Katara just wanted everything to be perfect.

"I think I know why you've been so uptight."

"I haven't been uptight," Katara denied.

"I think you want your brother's marriage to succeed, so you're trying to make the wedding perfect."

In the back of Katara's mind, she remembered how difficult things had been for Suki when she first got here. She hoped Ty Lee wouldn't tire of the cold too. "I guess."

"It's going to be great. They have everyone they love right here and they're happy. Ty Lee isn't Suki. This time will be different."

"I know she's not the same person, but I didn't see it coming with Suki at all. No one did."

"Toph did. That's why she and Sokka fought before his last wedding."

"Well, hopefully, she sees good things this time."

The earthbender could see nothing as the sky ship landed, but she was happy to be on the ground.

She hated wearing shoes, but needed boots to manage through the snow and ice. Satoru grabbed the bags while Toph carried Lin off the ship.

"So where is Snoozles?"

He had a half-day at work, wanting to make sure they had everything they needed for the whale hunt. They would be starting without him since he and Ty Lee would be on their honeymoon.

Eventually, his father told him to skedaddle and go get ready to be married.

Mai was more than happy to take a back seat in the wedding preparations. All she had to do was stand there and give her speech at the banquet.

Iroh arrived to see Azula and Haru trying to get their kids in their outfits.

"This itches," Hiro complained.

"Formalwear always itches," his father told him.

"Pain is the price we pay for beauty," Azula told him.

"Can't I just be ugly instead?"

"No."

"Uncle Iroh!" Hiro ran to hug him.

"You still have to put on your formal robes," his father told him.

* * *

Iroh scooped him up and helped them get him dressed. "Boys are always fussy when it comes to getting dressed up."

Just when Ty Lee thought she had enough sisters, five former warriors showed up, all hugging the bride and eager to catch up with her.

"You'll get her dress wrinkly," one of the sisters scolded. The showdown had begun.

Piando and Jeong Jeong arrived, as did Arnook and his wife. Now that everyone was here, the celebration could begin.

Ursa II was the flower girl. She had on an adorable pink dress that Rei was relieved she would never have to wear.

Sokka waited anxiously at the altar.

"Calm down Snoozles," Toph told him. Even without her earthbending, she could tell he was a nervous wreck.

"I can't believe this is it."

"Well, believe it buddy."

Hakoda walked Ty Lee down the aisle. She was wearing a gorgeous white dress. Her father refused to come to a wedding because she was marrying a peasant, and her mother thought it improper to go without her husband, but she did send Ty Lee a nice present and a letter saying she wished her daughter the best.

The bride found it awkward that her mother sent her lingerie, but it was nice and the right size. She had her own garments for her wedding night but had a whole week to put her other option to work.

Hakoda II was the ring boy He was excited to be able to be apart of his parents' wedding.

Pakku, being the oldest elder, presided over the ceremony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are here to join this lovely couple in matrimony. If anyone has a reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your piece."

"No!" Kiyi yelled loudly.

Everyone turned to her.

"He took my candy," she was pointing at her nephew.

Ursa was appalled. "Be quiet."

The crowd starting laughing.

"Any other objections," Pakku teased. Silence. "Very well. We will proceed with the couple's vows."

Sokka went first and put a ring on his bride's finger. "When we first saw each other in Omashu, I thought you were beautiful. Then I saw you chi block my sister's arm and I was simultaneously scared and delighted to have encountered you.

Every experience has been like that with you, not that I think you're going to paralyze everyone but I am both eager to be around you and scared that things are too good, as if we are in the calm before a terrifying storm.

No matter what comes our way, I know we can weather it together. Today, I'm the happiest man on Earth and I will be every day that we are together."

Ty Lee put a ring on his finger.

"Growing up with six sisters is quite the experience. I always felt a need to stand out when we all had similar faces and names. I'll never understand why my parents thought we all needed a name that started with "T."

From conquering cities to protecting the palace, I was always unsure of where my proper place was. It wasn't until we ran into each other in Omashu that I started to realize that my favorite place is beside you, and your home is mine too.

You asked me once if I thought I would ever tire of the snow. As long as can throw a snowball at you, I'll never tire of it."

The couple said their I dos and kissed in front of an awaiting crowd.

They proceeded out and everyone started to get ready for the reception.

It was a simple affair, a buffet was set up and there was no seating chart. The head table of course was reserved for the couple and their family but everyone else could sit wherever.

The kids all ended up together. Bumi was happy to see Lin again and introduced her to his other friends.

Kiyi was not so thrilled with the food. It was a traditional Water Tribe buffet with sea prune stew, roasted fish and tiger seal steak. She wanted to go back to the ship but her mother insisted she celebrate and stop being such a brat.

During the dinner, Azula took her to the side to talk to her.

"Something is bothering you, and I think it's more than just spending a couple of days in this icy wonderland."

Kiyi didn't know where to start. "I don't belong anywhere."

"What?"

"Everyone in the palace has a place. You run the country. Haru watches the kids. Mom dotes on them. Dad goes out and does whatever. When I'm not in school, I just float around. I'm too old to play with the kids all day like I'm one of them, but mom says I'm too young to go out by myself which leaves me no where."

Azula was starting to understand. "I know it sucks, but you're at that age, straddling the line between a child and an adult. Nothing seems right because you're trying to figure out who you are. It's okay to have doubts and to get anxious, but it's hard to help when you just get drunk and snap at everyone."

"I'm sorry about that, but the other kids my age just sat around drinking away and it was like no one cared, that they could just get away with it."

"I don't know if that's a good thing. When I drank too much, no one tried to stop me. I don't even know if Ozai noticed at all. It became a medicine of sorts, and it was not pretty. I know mother is a bit much, but she is that way because she cares.

How about you work on making up with Mom and I'll work on getting you and your friends a weekend at the vacation house?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You're the best."

"Remember that."

Now it was time for speeches. Mai went first.

"I always thought Ty Lee would be the first of us to get married. She was the prettiest and the boys always loved her. Then again, she's indecisive and had too many options.

As the years went by, I got married and even Azula got married which was really a surprise. The girl always said she'd set fire to any boy dumb enough to marry her yet she settled down while Ty Lee was a free spirit.

When I saw her with Sokka, I realized she couldn't possibly settle down with anyone else. Her optimism perfectly balances with his sarcasm, his crazy plans align with her ability to adapt to any situation and most importantly, they make each other happy, really happy, and I can't see Ty Lee any other way."

Toph was next.

"When I first met Snoozles, he was pretty goofy. He wanted to sleep all the time and he was always getting his foot in his mouth saying something dumb. We used to pig out on food and pull off scams together.

Over the years, he grew up, in some ways more so than anyone else in our little group and he truly emerged as a leader, helping to establish Republic City and taking on rebellions as they popped up here and there.

They say behind every great man is a greater woman, but in this case, I see two great people standing side by side, truly an amazing thing.

My one piece of advice, don't get too drunk tonight Snoozles. A groom with whiskey dick is a useless one."

Katara was appalled by the ending.

Aang laughed. "Could you really expect anything else from her?"

"What's whiskey dick?" Rei asked her mother.

"Why don't you ask Toph? I'm sure she'll explain it to you."

* * *

Next, Azula presented her present. "So I asked Ty Lee what she wanted for a wedding present, and she said she wanted something money couldn't buy, which of course really confused me. Money can buy anything. After a while, I realized that the one thing money can't buy is affection, so as a symbol of my affection to her and Sokka, I wrote their wedding song, so let's get ready for their first dance."

Azula went to the piano and began to play "You're My Best Friend."

Sokka and Ty Lee shared their first dance as a married couple to the song that described them all perfectly. At the end of the song, he kissed her in front of a cheering crowd.

The dance floor filled with people. They skipped the father daughter dance since her parents had skipped the wedding and instead, Ty Lee's sisters rushed Sokka, each of them wanting a dance with him.

The bride laughed and went to go mingle with her guests, leaving him defenseless.

Toph couldn't believe Rei asked her what whiskey dick was. "Why don't you ask your mother?"

"She told me to ask you."

That bitch. How do you explain this to a child? "Well, if a man gets too drunk, he's in a state where he can't produce a child."

"Really, does that mean Ty Lee and Sokka are going to make a baby tonight, well if he doesn't get too drunk."

Why is she so curious?

The other children were starting to dance. All in a group, it was an adorable scene.

"They represent every nation," Azula said to Mai as they shared cocktails.

"I know. I never would have imagined this as a child."

Kiyi was dancing with a boy her own age. She had a happy look on her face.

"Oh, she's got a boyfriend," Azula commented. "I'm so making fun of her the whole ride home."

"You're terrible."

"Duh. Big sisters are supposed to be annoying. Don't you tease Tom Tom about his crushes?"

"Like he tells me about them."

Haru shared some of his whiskey with the other guys, not feeling curious enough to try sea prune vodka.

"Toph gave me sea prune vodka once," Satoru said. "She told me it was juice."

"Oh that's mean," Hakoda said with a laugh.

"That moment, I was sure I wanted to marry her. What does that say about me?"

"That you're a masochist?" Haru offered.

* * *

With Ty Lee's sisters and the warriors at the party, there was a surplus of young women and the young men were excited to flirt.

At least some of Ty Lee's sisters wanted to find out if the rumors about the tribesmen were true. This would be an interesting night.

Sokka found his way back to his wife and scooped her into his arms. "I love you."

She kissed him. "I love you too, and we have a week just us."

Sokka felt slightly guilty about leaving Hakoda II behind, but Katara was bringing him to the Air Nation so he could play with Bumi while they were away. "Yeah we do."

Rei of course, came up to them. "Are you two going to make a baby during your honeymoon?"

"What?" Sokka questioned.

"Why else would Toph be worried about his whiskey dick?"

Ty Lee started cracking up. Azula is so going to kill Toph for this. "Well when you try to make a baby, you don't know if it worked for another six weeks, so we'll have to wait and see."

"Alright." The girl ran off.

"What did Toph tell her?" Sokka questioned.

"Who knows?"

"Are we making a baby?"

"We can try."


	13. All Things Come to an End

While everyone was enjoying the joyous wedding, Zuko sat alone in his cell. A man had come to see him again, the director of The Crown, wanting to interview the ex-Fire Lord for the rewrite he had to make to the sequel now that Azula was in fact alive.

Zuko was not exactly happy to talk to him, but it was his only visitor for the foreseeable future.

As the man probed him with questions about what he did and why he did it, he realized he was beginning to sound like a monster.

"I'm not this horrible guy that you are making me out to be."

"I'm just trying to get the facts."

When Zuko looked back at it all, he realized how horrid he sounded: sleeping with his best friend's wife and thinking he had gotten her pregnant, only to ignore her when the baby wasn't his and her marriage fell apart. He hid his wife's fertility from her, allowing her to blame herself for their lack of a firebending heir. He didn't even tell her Ursa II couldn't firebend. Mai had fainted upon delivery, and Zuko was so disappointed, he didn't say anything about it, causing Mai to believe she was a bender, and he never corrected her.

When the dissenting voices got louder, he fought with force instead of trying to address their concerns. He tricked the Avatar into helping him kill his sister, sending a hit man to follow along. Only to have the hit man refuse and then he sent a second one, just to find out Azula already had a firebending child.

He failed to get custody of her and then tried to kill her at the first opportunity only to be thwarted by his sister once again. It had been a trap. Ozai bragged about how Azula had come to see him before Zuko did and he had spoon fed Zuko the idea, knowing it would blow up in his face.

Now, he had nothing to look forward too. All he could say was this, "there was a time when Azula and I were really close. We would play outside together every time. Those days were short lived. Once she could bend, it was all Ozai could see, and all I saw was the emptiness of his abandoning me for her.

I didn't see my mother's love as enough to replace my father's rejection or Iroh's decision to be there for me when Ozai wasn't. No matter what I got, it was never enough.

Because I couldn't let go of my resentment for my father, I couldn't hold onto anything else. I didn't appreciate Mai's love or my friends who would have done anything for me. I just felt like a little boy stuck in my father's shadow.

Yeah, I was pretty upset when I thought Mai was sterile. I wondered what good was she if she couldn't produce children, and when Suki got pregnant, I thought I was in the clear that it would all work out for me. When the baby was Sokka's, the doctor suggested that I was sterile. I secretly had my seed tested, and I was.

I felt like I wasn't even a man anymore, even a creature as stupid as a lemur monkey can get a female pregnant. How would it look, the most powerful man in the country can't even produce useful seed.

When the voices got louder, I had to find Azula. I had to stop her. When Aang sent his letter saying Azula had started a new life and gotten married, I panicked. She might realize this was her chance to come back and take what she always wanted. She could produce an heir and take my Crown. I sent the hit man before I learned about Rei.

He refused, saying she was pregnant, and of course, I assumed it was a firebender and sent another hit man only for it to be the beginning of the end for me.

The only thing that mattered was proving myself as a man and as a ruler and all I did was prove to be a failure, and not because I lost the Crown, but because I lost everything trying to keep it.

I'm not the first person to try to kill for it, and I won't be the last. As long as there is a crown and royal siblings, people will fight for it. That much power is too intoxicating. I got addicted to it."

For the first time, Zuko admitted his wrongdoing to someone else. He thought it was just a show of how weak he was, but it was the first step in his own healing.

* * *

The next morning, Ty Lee and Sokka headed off for their honeymoon. She and Sokka were spending the week on a beachfront property in the Earth Kingdom.

The guests started getting ready to go back. Toph realized it had been quite a long trip just to turn around the next day.

"Hey Fire Princess, we're coming to visit." Why not take some time to hang out in the Fire Nation? It also meant Toph would see solid ground much sooner.

Rei was full of questions. "When are you going to give Lin a sibling?"

Toph shook her head. How is she so curious? "Why don't you ask that to Mai?"

"But she hasn't married her boyfriend yet."

"He's not my boyfriend," Mai retorted.

"Are you sure? He sounds like one to me."

"Who is Mai's boyfriend?"

"His name is RJ, well it's something longer than that, but I can never remember."

"Ruon Jian is not my boyfriend!"

"I heard you liked it when he used to flip his hair."

"Ew," Toph retorted.

"Azula, I'm going to kill you."

"But then you'll be in jail and away from your boyfriend."

Ty Lee's sisters decided to stay for a few days and get to know the tribe.

The warriors decided to go visit Suki. She had sent a letter telling them to enjoy the wedding. They decided it was time to get her spirits back up.

Everyone was where they wanted to be or on the path of healing, other than Ozai. He resolved to stay just as he was, whether the world liked him or not.

Spring 110AG

It was nine months later when the Gaang convened in the Fire Nation. The Crown II was debuting and they all wanted to see it.

Ursa wondered if the kids were old enough to go. Rei wanted to see it, as did Hiro. Azula was fine with them coming, but she was a little worried about Ursa II watching her father's downfall on a stage.

Mai had talked to her daughter about it and they agreed if she wanted to leave at anytime, all she had to do was squeeze her mother's hand.

"That goes for both of us," Ursa II said to her mother.

It was a ridiculous size for a theater group, eighteen of them going together. They had to adjust the royal box to fit so many people in it. The children would all be in front, their parents behind them.

The cast was excited and nervous that the Fire Lord was coming with so many people. It was great to perform in front of the people who lived the story, but it put extra pressure on them to be good.

They had been working on this project for two years now. They had done everything they could to get ready. The show was on.

* * *

The curtain opened. Azula was running through the forgetful valley, her hallucinations disappearing as she forgot the world that had troubled her so much.

She ran into a man who turned out to be Haru's father.

"Who are you and how did you get here?"

"I don't know."

They depict the pair making their way to Omashu where he introduces her to Haru.

It is a whirlwind romance, both in real life and on the stage. He proposed three months later, and they were excited to get married but … "We're broke," Mina pointed out to Haru.

"I know."

"Why do weddings cost so much?" From the food to the music, even getting the park cost money.

They were walking by when they saw a flyer. "It's a talent contest. The winner gets a free party."

Mina went inside. "Can the party be a wedding?"

"Oh of course. Those are the best parties."

Mina had only a few days to get an act ready. On Friday night, they went to the tavern.

A woman rudely said, "You are wasting your time. I always win the talent contest."

It was a 10-coin entry fee. Mina paid it and there were a lot of people there.

She was almost last; luckily the play skipped these performances.

She got on "stage" and performed the song, "Swimming."

The crowd loved it, roaring applause, and she was announced the winner.

* * *

The next scene was the wedding in the park, where Earth Air and Fire performed. Their wedding song was September, and they had never been happier. The guests were their neighbors and Haru's colleagues along with his father. Haru carried Azula off stage at the end of their wedding night. The crowd was whistling.

Ursa was happy that her daughter had such a joyous wedding, but sad that she had missed the actual event.

The next scene was of Zuko and Mai. They reconciled after their break up, and he proposed. Their relationship was in stark contrast to Mina and Haru's. It was prim and proper. She was the expected Fire Lady and everything had been done traditionally, asking her father for her hand, the ceremony itself and the party that followed.

It was hard for Mai to watch. She had been so happy at the time, but it was all theatrics.

After they got married, the play went back to Mina and Haru.

"You're having a firebender," the doctor told her. Privately, the doctor told Haru how unusual that was and asked him if he was sure he was the father.

"Of course I'm sure!"

They didn't realize that Mina had overheard them.

She got a book on firebending from the library and tried it. She was baffled by her blue flame and went to research that next.

"Princess Azula had a blue flame. Maybe a book on her will explain how she got it."

She had no trouble finding books on the notorious princess and was learning all sorts of things about her feats and her eventual breakdown.

"It sounds like she had a rough life." When she got to the end, she learned that the woman had disappeared April of last year, the same time she had been found.

"It can't be."

She looked for a picture of the princess, but there was none in this book. There was however a statue of her at the War History museum. Mina stared at her own likeness carved with stone and when she put up her hair in a topknot in front of the mirror she freaked out. What if Haru leaves her? What if her brother finds her and she gets sent back to the asylum or jail. Paranoia and self-doubt replaced the picture perfect image of her new life until she confesses to her husband.

Haru wonders how he didn't see it before, but once she started to tell him, it all made sense. "It's going to be okay," he said. "There's no reason anyone has to know."

The next scene was of Rei's birth. With her eyes and her father's hair, it was clear she was a child of both of theirs, to her doctor's surprise, and she was the firebender that he had predicted that she was.

The next scene was of Zuko and Mai having Ursa II. During her pregnancy, Mai didn't show any of the signs of having a firebnder, but the doctor said it's not always clear. "I didn't see any signs that your sister was a firebender before she was born."

Zuko accepted the answer, but he was quite displeased when Ursa II couldn't bend.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said apologetically. Mai had fainted, so she was unaware.

"Don't tell anyone about this," Zuko said sternly.

The doctor nodded, not putting it in Ursa II's file.

Zuko and Mai tried to have more kids, but over the next year, nothing happened. Zuko confided to an advisor that he thought Mai might be sterile.

"Maybe you should take on a second wife. Having only one heir is risky."

Zuko didn't have one at all. He started to panic.

* * *

The next scene showed Sokka and Suki getting married. Zuko was the best man and one of the warrior's was the maid of honor. Only a few short months later, Zuko and Suki started their affair. He sabotaged her contraception, hoping that she would produce an heir for him.

Mai was ready to puke, hoping this was a scene they made up for the play. Sokka really wanted to punch Zuko in the face right now.

Azula and Haru had another baby. Prince Hiro looked just like his daddy. "He's just like you," Azula said to Haru. "And she's just like me." When she was alone, her character reflected. "I have two children, and they'll never have to fight for the throne."

The next scene showed Suki having fevers. The doctor thought she was having a firebender. Zuko was elated, and Suki thought he would leave Mai for her, especially if she had a son.

Mai started to pity the girl. Suki had been just as deluded about Zuko as she had been.

When Hakoda II was born, however, Zuko's excitement turned into confusion.

Zuko asked the doctor how could it be. Suki was rarely with Sokka at all. "He could have gotten lucky or …."

"Or what?"

"Or, you could be sterile."

"That's ridiculous." Zuko went to get tested and the specialist told him his seed was likely junk. He tried to explain how the waterbending test could be inaccurate, but Zuko stormed out.

Later he convinced Mai to take a fertility test. She did and she came back fine. The problem was Zuko. He destroyed the results and threatened the doctor to stay quiet.

Intermission

Azula requested more wine for the box. They would need it. Ursa and Haru ushered the children to the bathroom.

Azula asked Mai how she was holding up.

"Well, I'm glad I didn't invite Ruon Jian now. What would he think?"

"That your husband is a cad. This wasn't your fault Mai."

"How could I not have known?"

"How would you have known? You trusted him, so did everyone else in his life."

Ursa II didn't understand much of the story, but she got it when her "father" threatened people on stage. It wasn't very nice of him at all.

She hugged her mother before act II. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Honey."

The play started again. Zuko convened his friends and sent them to track down his sister. Next, they were in the Earth Kingodm.

Rei was five and Hiro was three. The boy just learned to earthbend.

"Let's show Mom!" The kids ran back to the house, Rei's chi changing the streetlights blue.

Rei had always wondered how they found her mother. Now it made sense.

The Avatar and his friends appeared. Azula bolted and after a tearful goodbye to her husband, vanished without a trace.

The search for her continued and Haru struggled to decide whether he should help his friends bring her home or not look for her, so they didn't find her.

Azula found herself in the hospital where Combustion Man Jr attacked her. He left when he learned she was pregnant and returned the money to Zuko. He was never seen alive again. A royal guard disposed of the body.

Azula is reunited with Haru and then with her children. She refuses to go home, sure that her brother sent the hit man.

"Why would Zuko do that?"

"To protect his throne. Something must be going on in the Fire Nation. Why else would he look for me after all this time?"

They all left the Earth Kingdom, figuring that the Avatar would look west towards Ba Sing Se. Instead, they headed south towards the palace.

Instead, Avatar wrote back to Zuko, suggesting that they call off the search. "She's married and pregnant now. I doubt she is trying to start a coup."

Zuko forged the letter from his sister and presented it to his friends, convincing them to continue the search. "She must be having a firebender," he said to them, emboldening her to make a play for the crown now.

Aang and the others did head towards Ba Sing Se, only to encounter Iroh who hadn't seen them at all. They tried Gaoling next and then Sokka suggested maybe she went to Ember Island.

"Why would she go there when she would likely get recognized?"

"She would have assumed that we would look away from the kingdom and we did, where we didn't find her."

"She could be in some nameless town," Katara said. "Like the one we found her in."

While Haru and the kids were at the beach, Azula and the lawyers worked on her will.

"Sometimes, you have to be ready to fall on your sword," Azula said as she signed it. Haru signed it later that day.

The couple tried to give their kids the best memories they could while they had the time.

Then, the explosion happened.

Azula escaped along the beach, and Haru hid her footprints. The webs of deception were getting larger.

Haru stages his death and the next scene is Azula's funeral. Rei faces off with everyone.

The young firebender is embarrassed by her actions, now that she knows her mother was really alive and her uncle had arranged the whole affair.

The Head Sage taught Rei how to make a fire dragon for her mother's funeral. He is surprised at how quickly she learned it, and he shed a tear for the Princess that died so young. Rei was just like her.

When the will is read, Zuko is furious and when he visits his father in jail, his old man mocks him for being an idiot.

"Your sister was smart enough to keep her heir a secret from you and to make sure you didn't get custody. I guess she wasn't so crazy after all."

Zuko stormed out as Ozai laughed.

Sokka and Hakoda II travel the Earth Kingdom and after a visit to Toph, find themselves in Omashu where the children first become friends and Sokka and Ty Lee fall for each other.

The perfect "just kiss already" scene is reinacted for the laughing audience.

Iroh comes next and while Hiro warms to him quickly, Rei is more skeptical.

When Haru's birthday comes around, they learn Azula and Haru might still be alive.

The kids demand to come too, Hiro trapping Ty Lee to the ground.

"I can't believe you trapped my feet in rock."

"Go big or go home!"

The kids proved to be the perfect comedic relief for the dark play.

They have the tearjerking scene where Rei is united with her mother again, and they get to meet there little sister.

"Ta Min's going to like me best because I'm an earthbender too."

"She's going to like me best because boys have cooties."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

When Sokka returns, he and Ty Lee venture into the Fire Nation to try and solve the case while Hakoda II stays with Azula's evergrowing clan.

She discovers she's pregnant with Lu Ten. "You love keeping me fat," she accused her husband.

"Now, there is more of you to love."

He hugged her as she rolled her eyes.

Haru looked at his wife.

"We're not having another baby yet."

He pouted.

* * *

Katara was amazed that he wanted to go for five.

While Ty Lee and Sokka learned that the resistance was a peaceful one that wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of Azula replacing her brother, they start to realize that all of the paths lead to Zuko.

Sokka snoops in the medical office and learns of Mai's possible infertility. "Maybe he was afraid Azula would have a son to compete with Ursa II for the throne." They weren't clear on the motives yet, but there was something to the story yet to be discovered.

They show the resistance merging with the loyalists. With Rei available to take the throne, they start talking about finding a regent for her and making the push to get rid of Zuko.

The Fire Lord is angry and freaking out. His father's voice is ringing in his head as he starts to break down.

Azula has Lu Ten II and decides it's time to confront her brother.

She has a challenging reunion with Mai, and together they sneak into the doctor's office. Azula steals Suki's medical file along with Mai's. She has a hunch that together they will tell a story.

Next was a scene that most of the family didn't know about.

Azula and Mai argued over Zuko's guilt, that was to be expected, but Hiro and Rei had been eavesdropping.

Azula heard whispering and opened the door, to see two children fall inside.

"What are you doing?"

"Eavesdropping," Rei said to a laughing audience.

"What have I told you about that?"

"To listen for anything good and tell you who said what."

"Drats I did say that."

"Anyway, I know how you can prove it was Zuko."

Rei suggested that they see if he tries to kill her. "If this is a bid to protect the throne, then he will make a move the first chance he gets." At the tender age of six, she was already learning how to lay traps and solve cases.

Azula objected. "I can't use you as bait."

"So what are you going to do? Ask him about it and hope he confesses?"

Azula frowned. It sounded stupid when she said it.

* * *

Next, Azula shows up to Boiling Rock disguised as Ursa.

"Azula, back from the dead," Ozai laughes.

"Want to help me depose my brother."

"Of course. You're my favorite."

Zuko is surprised to see Rei and Hiro playing with Ursa II.

"What's going on?"

"Ty Lee dropped them off for a visit," his wife lied to him.

Zuko went to see his father who fed him the same scheme that Azula had given him.

When Zuko attacked, he thought it was all over, his bloodline set to hold onto the throne, just to encounter his sister.

"Oh the webs we weave when we are trying to deceive."

Azula and Zuko argued back and forth, the whole story unfolding in front of the crowd's eyes.

Zuko moved to strike her with lightening. Azula readied herself to redirect it, but the strike never sounded. Mai stabbed her husband in the back with her stiletto. "You bastard!"

The curtain closes. It seemed too abrupt to be the ending, but then one more scene emerged.

Azula was being crowned Fire Lord. This time, her mother was actually in the room with her.

As she prepared herself to rule, her brother sat in a dark cell. A complete reversal from the end of the first play when the narrator said, "As appalling as Zuko's actions were, they are not unheard of in the royal family. Here and elsewhere people have killed again and again to get ahold of the rare power of the crown.

This battle is over but the war will wage on as long as there are thrones to be had. Maybe you should ask yourself, what would you do for the crown?"

* * *

The curtain closed and they began to do applaud the cast, starting with the villagers and the rest of the nameless characters, before the named characters started to appear.

The crowd loudly applauded for Ozai. The actor had made quite a convincing villain. After him came Aang and Katara, Mai, Rei and Hiro, Sokka and Ty Lee, Zuko who may have gotten the loudest applause at that point, Haru and of course, the Fire Lord herself who earned a standing ovation. They pointed to the director and the orchestra.

As they left, Sokka had a question, how did they get everyone in the family to look alike.

Ursa had the answer. "They went to my hometown when they were looking for actors to play the roles. The girl who played Azula, her brother played Zuko and her little sister was Rei. They're a family of thespians."

"They're all gay?"

"Actors not lesbians," Azula chided. "What's wrong with you?"

"No home training," Rei retorted.

Ty Lee glared at her.

"What? Mom gets to say it."

The acrobat was pregnant. Hakoda II would be getting a sibling in a few months.

After the play, Ruon Jian sent Mai a letter, asking her how it went.

"It was hard to watch personally, but the play itself was quite fantastic."

"A little too realistic?" he asked in his next letter.

"Yeah."

He finally asked her out on a date and promised he wouldn't take her to a play.

She agreed and they went out to dinner and a classical music performance.

"I didn't peg you as the classical music type."

"I can't reveal all my secrets at once."

Azula went to visit her brother in Boiling Rock.

He was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw the Crown II last night."

"I'm sure I looked like a prince."

"You looked like a total jerk, but I looked crazy and evil in the last one, so maybe it's a wash."

"So I can go now?"

"No."

"Why are you here?"

"I realized that a lot of our issues wouldn't have happened without Ozai. That doesn't excuse what you did, but maybe there's hope that you can change."

"Change into what?"

"The Zuko who still tried to help me, after I tried to kill him and his friends several times."

Azula continued to visit her brother, unsure of how helpful the visits were but she was determined not to give up on him. Maybe he would become a better man for it, maybe she was wasting her time, but after watching her life on stage, she couldn't ignore the horrors of giving up on people. She was determined to be different.

**THE END**


End file.
